


Blades and Fans

by deathking00



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 09:53:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16038044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathking00/pseuds/deathking00
Summary: After leaving Uncle Iroh's side Zuko dawns the mask of the blue spirit as he struggles to survive on his own he meets and joins a group of female warriors as they travel across the earth kingdom learning what it means to be a hero and the hardships that will follow and the bonds he makes with the captain of the painted warriors Zuki-fic





	Blades and Fans

It had been a few days since Zuko left his uncle's side to go down his own path. He had set up his camp as night settled in, the sun disappearing over the horizon and darkness enveloping the trees. Zuko sighed heavily as he stared down at the blue and white mask in his hands. His callous fingers traced around the devilish grin as his mind flashed back to the night he re-dawned his dark persona. Him. towering over that vile man who treated his uncle and him like trash; making his uncle dance for him like a monkey. He felt good taking those swords for himself, but he started to wonder if his uncle was right, was stealing truly worth it. He shook his head, of course it was worth it. It was for survival. Nothing else matters except completing his mission of capturing the avatar.

Zuko continued to debate in his head whether or not what he was doing was moral or justified but his thoughts were soon interrupted by the loud growl in his stomach. Zuko groaned when he felt his stomach ache and gripped his sides in pain as he put down his blue spirit mask. He turned and rummaged through his pack, searching for any rations or scrap of food he may have had left over. His search bore no fruit. All he found were gold pieces and other useless junk he stole. He made a mental note to pawn most of this stuff off when he finally found a town to sell to, but he shook his head, knowing he would need food soon or else he would starve, and so would his ostrich horse. He couldn't let that bird die. It had been useful so far and a faithful beast, even if he did steal it. Zuko picked up his Dao swords, strapping them to his back, and pulled out his mask, slipping it over his face and tying off the straps, becoming the blue spirit. Zuko walked over to his ostrich horse. The beast was fast asleep, and he double-checked to make sure its reins were tied tight to the tree. "I'll be back soon. I'm gonna get us something to eat," Zuko whispered to the sleeping creature outing the campfire with a wave of his hand. "Time to hunt," he said to himself as he went through the forest, leaving his camp. As he shifted silently through the woods he pulled out his pearl dagger and slashed at the trees, marking his way back to his camp.

Zuko scoured the forest, creeping through the darkness, even leaping from tree to tree, but he couldn't find anything to eat. It seemed his hunger was starting to slow him down. He was used to hunting with only his swords but somehow even the smallest of animals slipped from his fingers, and he knew he couldn't keep this up. His body was already feeling exhausted from traveling, but as he hunched over, leaning against a tree trying to catch his breath, he heard voices in the distance. His ears eagerly perked up. The voices were soft but not too far. He listened carefully, holding his breath to try to hear them and he could tell the voices were feminine. Maybe they were camping out here as well. Maybe they were some royals or other pompous officials, which meant they may have food. That sounded pretty good to him, and his stomach quickly agreed. Zuko leaped to his feet and made his way quickly to where the voices were being carried to him by the soft breeze.

The Kyoshi warriors had set up camp near the road on their way to Ba Sing Se. After the Avatar had left their island they decided they would no longer isolate themselves as the war continued to wage on and let innocents continue to get hurt. They wanted to help, and by heading to Ba Sing Se they could do a lot of good helping refugees seeking shelter. The leader, Suki, was tending to the Ostrich horses, helping to get them settled in while Aikio was setting up the tents with Ami. Kikki and Tam were both gathering up the food and rations, raising them up into the trees so no platypus bears could get to them during the night. Suki turned and smiled at her sisters, glad so many decided to join her. A few had to remain back at the island to protect their people, but knowing that the island was in good hands eased her mind as they traveled.

"Captain, all done with the food," Kikki called out to Suki as she finished tying the rope that hoisted up the food anchoring it to the tree trunk.

"Good job. Now, Aikio, when you're done with the tents, make sure to double-check Kikki's knots; we don't want a repeat incident like last time," Suki said cheerfully as the girls giggled, while Kikki let out an annoyed huff.

"That was one time!"

"Yeah and next time you'll know to double check your knots, and not to take naps while you're supposed to be securing our rowboats too," Suki said smugly, imagining Kikki screaming for help when the boat she was napping in was pulled away by the current. The girls laughed even louder now, all picturing Kikki's face as Kikki huffed again, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Okay, girls enough chit-chat let's get settled in and off to bed. We need to get up bright and early if we wanna make good time getting to Ba Sing Se," Suki said as the girls nodded in agreement. "Yes, Captain," the girls sounded off as they started heading to their individual tents, while Suki did the final checks on the supplies and followed along after making sure camp was secure.

Zuko had found the Kyoshi camp and as he stayed in the trees he observed them quietly. Seeing as they were a group of only women, he thought at first this would be an easy job, but as he observed them, seeing them both well armed and clearly physically fit, he could tell just by the way they walked around the camp they were well-trained warriors. His mind ended up wandering to his sister, knowing full well at an early age that girls could be as deadly as any man, and especially in Azula's case, even deadlier. Zuko needed to remain cautious. He was in no state for a fight, but if he could get what he needed from them then that should be enough.

Zuko stayed close to the bushes, melting himself into the darkness as he waited for sleep to take hold of the warriors. A few hours passed and he could feel even sleep wanted to claim him, but hunger wouldn't let him, and now he had no choice but to move. He stepped out of the bushes, trying to keep himself clung to the shadows as he tiptoed his way around the camp, making sure not disturb the tents. He climbed up the tree to get to the food hanging above the camp. Zuko wrapped his legs around one of the stronger branches as he flipped his body around to hang upside down like a wolfbat as he unsheathed his swords. Reaching out with the blades, trying to reach the food stash, he carefully used the blades like scissors to cut one of the ropes of the net holding all the food together as he extended his arm and hooked one of the blades through a cloth package, slowly pulling it from the rest of the stash. Zuko bit his lip as he tried his best to ease the package over to him, and the cloth package slowly slid down the blade. He caught it, pulling it into his grasp, and sighed heavily in relief. Zuko took the package and examined it, quickly seeing it was a bag of uncooked rice. He decided this would be enough and strapped it along his back. He started to slowly try to untangle himself from the tree, but as he did, he didn't notice the cut he had made into the rope holding up the food stash began to unravel and before he dropped from the tree, he looked up and his face went pale, watching the food and rations come crashing down onto the campgrounds below.

The loud crash immediately woke up the Kyoshi warriors. They jumped out of their tents, grabbing their weapons to defend the camp. They pulled out their katanas and golden fans, and readied themselves in fighting positions while they quickly checked the camp. Zuko held his breath and dared not move, hoping to not give away his position in the tree. But he knew they would see him sooner or later if he didn't move. They continued to scan the premise to try to spot who was out there as Suki stood in the center of the girls.

As their eyes darted around, one of the girls, Tam, saw a blue glimmer in the darkness above them. She looked up, squinting her eyes, which went wild when she saw the blue demon face staring back at her.. "There it is! There's the thief!" she yelled, pointing up with her katana.

"Crap," Zuko said under his breath, knowing full well he screwed up.

As all the Kyoshi Warriors looked up to see the thief, Zuko jumped down, lunging himself at the group to catch them off guard. He quickly shoved them down and out of his way. He jumped to his feet and bolted. The Kyoshi Warriors quickly recovered and sprinted after the masked man. Suki signaled for her sisters to split up and surround the thief while she ran full speed behind him.

Zuko tried to bob and weave his body through the trees and bushes, but the girls were relentless. As he got closer to the cover of the forest, they would slash down upon him or throw their fans to drive him back, forcing him to stick to running down the dirt road and keeping him in the moonlight. Zuko barely noticed one of the girls were right in front of him, charging straight at him. Zuko quickly reached behind him, drawing his broadsword, and slashed out to parry the girl's oncoming attack. The momentary block was all the Kyoshi warriors needed to catch up and surround the masked thief.

Zuko pushed himself back as he looked at the woman surrounding him, His mind quickly thinking of a way to escape, or at least how to hold them off until he thought of one... With a loud huff, he took his Dao Sword and split it into the twin blades, spinning them around in his grip as he got low in his fighting stance, waiting for them to make the first strike.

Suki eyed up the masked man. He knew how to use those swords of his and she would be a fool to underestimate his ability. But as she examined him closer, she saw the slight quiver and shake in his stance and in his arms. Her lips curled into a smirk, knowing he was tired from running. The other girls had a similar smirk on their faces "You led us on a merry chase, but we'll be taking back what you stole," Suki told the thief. The masked demon remained silent and tightened his grip on his blades. The Kyoshi leader gave a shrug before locking her eyes onto the black sockets of the mask. "Now sisters, take him down!"

Zuko quickly slashed his blades along the ground by his feet, launching a cloud of dirt up to blind the two girls charging in front of him. They became stunned by the dirt slamming into their eyes. Zuko took this opportunity to leap at them, ramming his knee into Aikio's gut and knocking the air out of her lungs, sending her sprawling on the floor. He then twisted his body and rolled forward, dodging a frantic swing from the blinded Tam, as he swung his heel into the back of her leg, tripping her. She collapsing face first into the ground. Zuko got back on his feet as the warriors behind him began to slash and swipe their blades at him. His arms were shaking but with the pump of adrenaline rushing through his heart, he began to steady himself, blocking every blow sent at him.

Suki was surprised at this one man and how he was able to hold his own against five of them. Even in his obviously tired state she never knew a non-bender could be so skilled. She watched him gracefully duck under another slash of her fan before she felt the sting of the butt of his sword being slammed into her back, making her stumble forward. She gritted her teeth, hating that she was actually admiring his skill. She shook her head, trying to focus back on the fight at hand and advanced again to strike him.

Zuko knew he needed to end this fight quickly or he wouldn't last much longer. His heart was beating out of his chest, and his breath had become ragged in his throat. His lungs were burning as he fought to keep standing. He started to go on the offensive, slashing wildly, spinning the two blades mercilessly at the three—and now five warriors, the two girls who had been knocked down now returning to the battle. Their fans and katanas bounced off his steel, the sound ringing in their ears and echoing through the trees. Zuko then tried to parry the next few attacks that came down at him, but he found himself beginning to stumble, his stance weakening and legs feeling like jello. His arm faltered as another fan came down at him and his right sword got knocked out of his grip. Zuko's eyes widened in shock as he had to jump back to avoid the next few attacks, getting to a safer distance.

Suki smirked at the masked man, now down to one sword, as she and her sisters bared down on him as he backed away defensively. He flipped his left blade to a backhanded position as he attempted to use it to shield himself from any oncoming attacks. "We have you now," Suki mumbled to herself, already feeling victorious as she and the Kyoshi warriors prepared to strike again, but suddenly stopped in shock as the man in front of them fell to his knees.

Zuko was breathless, his body aching and he felt like he couldn't even lift his arms to fire bend, let alone wield a sword to fight back. He rested his last sword down on the ground in front of him. He knew when he was beaten and let out a sigh. He just hoped that whatever they decide to do with him, they made it quick. A single thought crossed his mind. 'An honorable death...'

"What...what is he doing?" Tam asked as she glanced at her sisters for some kind of answer as they all looked down at him.

"I think he's...conceding," Aikio said with an arched brow.

"Con...seeding?" Tam asked, confused, which made Aikio growl lowly in annoyance.

"It means admitting defeat! You know, surrendering," she said through gritted teeth as Tam nodded.

"Yeah...Okay got it."

Suki rolled her eyes as the girls spoke to each other and gave them a quick glare, making them all fall silent. She then turned her gaze back to the man before them. "Return whatever it is you stole." She spoke in a harsh but commanding tone as she and the Kyoshi warriors got back in their fighting stances.

Zuko knew he had no choice as he reached behind his back, pulling the sack that hung over his shoulder, and slowly placed it down in front of him. The girls eyed the sack he put in front of them, seeing the small bag leaking some uncooked rice as he pulled his hands away, keeping them in clear view as to not to look threatening.

"Food...this was all for food?" Kikki chimed in, louder than she meant to be, but all the girls had the same reaction, although not as audibly. Suki was still stunned. she thought, maybe he was stealing weapons or gold or their other valuables, but seeing him fight so hard just for a bag of rice was unbelievable. She then started to realize why she noticed the shaking and weakness in his stance. He was hungry—no, starving.

Suki folded her fan and sheathed her weapon in her scabbard as she stepped closer, reaching for the bag and retying it so no more rice would leak out. Her eyes then gazed at the man only a few feet in front of her and she finally got a good look at his mask exposed to the moonlight and with a sudden realization, she finally recognized it. "You... you are the Blue Spirit aren't you," she said getting to her feet.

Zuko lifted his head to look up at her. She has said his alias, and he couldn't help himself but stare. She was beautiful. he had to admit her soft olive skin was flawless, her auburn hair nearly glowed like fire in the light of the moon, and her eyes a soft blue, like pools of water he could get lost in. He was relieved that his mask hid his flushed cheeks before he mentally scolded himself, knowing this wasn't the time nor place to be gawking at girls. After a moment of silence, he watched her arch her brow expecting some sort of response from him as he finally gave a subtle nod.

She then let a soft smile grace her lips "I've seen your wanted posters. Seems the Fire Nation is offering a hefty price for your head," she said, trying to gauge his reaction as she continued. "I've also heard stories about you, like how you steal from the rich to give to the poor, some saying you are a ghost of a fallen soldier roaming the countryside, others say you are either a monster or a spirit from the Spirit World, sent here to exact justice and vengeance." "But one story I heard interested me the most. You signal handily broke the Avatar out of a Fire Nation fortress. That you faced down nearly an army of Fire Nation soldiers to save him, with just two swords."

As she spoke about the tales people had made up about him, mystifying him, he nearly chuckled to himself at how absurd some of the stories about him have gotten, but as she spoke of Pohuai Stronghold he tensed, his arms becoming stiff as he gripped his knees, remembering that night in almost vivid detail. Remembering the fighting, how he had basically betrayed his people by freeing the Avatar. Fighting his own people made a knot grow in his stomach.

Suki saw his reaction to that last story, almost confirming it. "At first, when I heard about you freeing the Avatar, I couldn't believe it to be honest. To think one man could fight off so many soldiers by himself...It sounded ridiculous. As if someone made the whole thing up, or he took the praise of what the Avatar did, while he stood in the background."," she said and she could feel him glaring at her as she belittled him.

"But seeing you fight first hand, you holding your own against us five Kyoshi warriors even in your state...I have no doubt in my mind that story is true." She said, smiling warmly at him.

When she said Kyoshi warriors, it finally dawned on Zuko where he recalled seeing these girls before. They are from Kyoshi Island and he distinctly remembered how he nearly burned down their village when chasing the Avatar, which made him curse his luck. He couldn't let them learn who he was, now knowing they would definitely kill him if they knew his identity. Zuko then took a breath and bowed his head in thanks as he remained in his knelt position not wanting to speak.

"During the fight, you had plenty of opportunities to kill us but you didn't, and when you were cornered you admitted defeat. Only someone with a great sense of honor would admit when they lost, even when facing a couple of girls," She spoke with a soft chuckle making Zuko arch his brow wondering what she was getting at.

"That's why I think you should come with us," Suki said in a calm tone while everyone looked at her like she just grew a tail.

"You want him to come with us?" Kikki asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, isn't that a little much? He was stealing from us after all," Aikio said as she eyed up the masked man.

Ami shook her head "I'll have to agree with Aikio, Captain. Plus, he's...he's a he," she said glancing at the girls as they were all skeptical of this idea.

Zuko almost wanted to speak out that this idea was probably bad as well, though he remained silent, not sure speaking out would help his predicament.

"Look, I get it that he was stealing from us, but he's a great warrior and if he were to help us, I'm sure together we do a lot of good," Suki said glancing at the Kyoshi warriors before turning back to the Blue Spirit.

"Avatar Aang is a friend of ours and you saved him, there is hope for this war to end because of you." She spoke as she stepped closer to him. "What kind of person would I be if I would turn away from someone who helped my friend."

Zuko looked down and away from her gaze, thinking carefully about what he should do, knowing that if he went with them, it's more likely they will figure out who he is and blow his cover and outing who the blue spirit truly is. Then again, if she is friends with the Avatar, it's more than just a little likely traveling with her that they would bump into the boy, giving him a better chance to capture him. Plus, they may have more food for him and his ostrich horse and his stomach really wanted him to agree.

Zuko looked back up at the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, giving a nod, making her smile even wider into a cheerful grin. "Great, but if you join up with us it's not a free pass. Everyone has to help and pull their own weight, and that means cooking, cleaning, helping pack and set up camp. No lazing around, got it?" She said, reaching out her hand to help him to stand.

Zuko glanced at her outstretched hand and took a few seconds before reluctantly taking it as she helped him to his feet. "My name is Suki, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. These are my sisters," she said, gesturing to the girls behind her. "Now before we get too far ahead of ourselves what's your name?" Suki asked, looking at him.

Zuko held her gaze but remained silent, not saying a word. He couldn't or else he'd be found out. He wasn't sure if they would remember him or not.

Suki raised a brow as she looked at him strangely as she asked him again, with no response. "Can you talk? Are you mute or have you taken a vow of silence?" she asked and Zuko just shook his head, not really answering any of her questions. "This is going to be a little difficult," she groaned as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Okay, we'll just have to work around this as best as we can," she said turning to her girls. "I may be the captain, but we are a team. So girls. what would you think if... Blue here joins us to Ba Sing Se?" she said. as Zuko glanced at her before turning to the other warriors. Each of them had fairly same confused and skeptical looks on their faces.

"Well I guess it wouldn't be the worse thing for him to join, but it would give me a chance to get back at him later for that dirt in the eye thing earlier," Aikio said with a smirk as she punched her fist into her other hand. She was much older than the rest of the girls, Suki's second in command, and as she spoke the rest of the girls seemed to relax.

"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world," Kikki spoke next, and each other of the girls gave their approval. though some of them with a little reluctance.

Suki smiled and turned to the Blue Spirit. "It would be an honor if you did join us, Blue." She smiled but her smile faded from her lips as he picked up his sword, until she saw him start to write something into the dirt with the tip of the blade. "I still have to decide. I'll let you know in the morning my decision." she read out as he wrote.

Suki frowned at this but he wiped the message and wrote a new message. "I'm camped not too far from here. I'll still need to collect my things, but I'll let you know my answer when the sun rises." he wrote before giving her a bow.

Suki gave a nod and a knowing smile. "I understand, but if you can let us know by then, I would be grateful. We will be packing up in the morning, so be sure to meet us before we head on our way. I'm not sure if we can wait for you to decide."

Zuko gave another nod as he looked at the bag of rice, about to reach for it, but pulled his hand away, unsure if he could take it."Go ahead, take it. We will need you fed before we continue traveling. Besides, no snack breaks till we have to set up camp again," she said, and Zuko gave a thankful nod before grabbing the sack of rice and slinging it over his shoulder.

Zuko turned to the Kyoshi warriors, giving them all a solemn bow before he turned to Suki. He bowed before her as she and the others bowed before him. Zuko then turned and started to walk towards the bushes and Suki called out. "Remember to be by our camp by dawn with your answer."Zuko turned, giving her a thumbs up before snatching up his other sword and sheathing both Dao blades in his scabbard and disappearing into the darkness.

Just as he left their sight, a wave of tiredness came over the Kyoshi Warriors as they turned to head back to their own camp. "Come on girls, off to bed. We need to get some rest before the sun comes out," Suki told them as she let out a yawn. They headed back to their tents, not having the energy to clean up the mess from the fallen food stash, and they slunk into their sheets.

Zuko managed to make it back to camp his body slumped over as the pain began coursing through him intensified. He could feel the soreness from the fighting and his aching stomach. He managed to set the rice the Kyoshi warriors let him take to boil in a stolen pot over the campfire. As he watched the rice and water boil he thought about their offer more and more wondering if traveling with them would be a good idea. Sure, having a more reliable food source would be nice and traveling with the Kyoshi warriors most likely guarantees safer passage across the earth kingdom, especially since they probably have charts and maps of the area to avoid fire nation outposts. If he makes a single misstep a single mistake he's dead and he doubts that the Kyoshi warriors, especially their leader Suki wouldn't be merciful if they learned who he is. Just as he thought of her name her face flashed into his mind, he couldn't help but think of the way she smiled at him the way her eyes gazed into his. He felt weak thinking about her but shook himself out of his dazed scolding himself again just like before "She would have nothing to do with you, you are her enemy, you are fire nation." he spoke out to himself hoping his words would convince his confused mind.

Zuko saw that the rice was finished boiling, and he set the pot to cool on the rock bed. He then reached up and pulled his blue spirit mask off his face, letting it rest in the palm of his hands. He let his fingers slide along the inside of the wooden mask feeling the words etched into the brow 'Too My Brave Little Soldier...Ursa' as his fingers grazed over her name he let his fingers linger on it picturing her face in his mind. "I wish you were still here with me...," his mind imagining the last time he saw her, watching her face disappear behind her hood like it consumed her as she walked away from his life. He sighed as the memory always caused his eyes to water as he fought back the tears that threatened to spill over as he put away his mask.

Zuko grabbed a pair of chopsticks and pulled the pot into his lap the metal a now more reasonable temperature as he started to eat. He scooped up and ate the bland nearly tasteless rice. He groaned at the taste, but he stomached it too hungry to care. After finishing off the small pot he put his stuff away clearing up his campsite packing his stuff. He wanted to sleep, he felt his movements sluggish, but he could feel the sun about to rise and banishing the dark sky. If he was really gonna decide on joining these Kyoshi warriors he would need to leave soon to meet them before they leave or he would miss his chance.

Almost finished packing, Zuko readjusts the saddle on his Ostrich horse as the beast awoke and he loaded everything up. The Ostrich Horse whined as the heavyweight was put on him making him shift around shaking his feathers. "shhhhh don't worry just a little longer, and when we get to town we can get rid of most of this stuff okay." Zuko said trying to calm and soothe the bird, stroking his gloved hand down its head brushing back the feathers along its brow. This earned Zuko a soft chirp and purr from the animal as it tried and nuzzled its beak against Zuko's hand and face. Zuko let a soft smile grace his lips as he took hold of the reins and mounted the Ostrich horse to ride off, the sun now peaking for the trees.

The Kyoshi warriors had a brief, but unrestful sleep. The fighting last night made all their body's stiff and sore making any movement a pain. Dawn came only a few hours after they collapsed in their sheets and as the sun rose up they knew that they had to start packing, but no one was eager to get up. Suki took her time like the other girls in slinking out of bed, but she needed to set the example and crawled her way out of her tent. She let out a loud yawn as she stretched her back. "Come on girls, up and at 'em!" she called out as she rubbed a large round bruise on her back from when the blue spirit slammed his sword pommel into her.

Aikio was the next to try and get out of bed her dark hair a complete mess as she scratched her head and stretched out her back. "Damn I haven't felt this sore first day of training," she complained as she stumbled over to the fallen food stash fishing out an apple from one of the bags for her breakfast.

Suki became a little annoyed as the other girls remained in their tents she understood they were all feeling the same way she did, but that was no excuse to sleep in. "COME ON GET UP THIS INSTANCE!" she yelled loudly startling the girls almost instantly drawing them out of their tents. Even Aikio was startled at the loud outburst by her captain as she bit into her apple. Suki let out a loud sigh and she brushed back her hair and tied it off. "Okay now everyone sound off!" she said in a commanding tone.

"T...Ta..Tam present." Tam said in a soft and shaky tone as she tried to stand straight with the growing bruise on the back of her right leg.

"Yawn, ummmmm Ki... Kikki here." Kikki called out as she slouched where she was standing in her lazy posture.

"Ami here." Ami was the next to sound off she was much smaller than the rest of the girls, but she tried her best to stand at attention.

"Aikughio here," Aikio mumbled with an apple in her mouth as she was sitting on one of the food crates resting her elbows on her knees as she ate.

Suki let out another loud sigh as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Now, I'm gonna sound off jobs and I want them all done in the next hour so we can set off," She said as she walked over to the girls. "Kikki and... Aikio you two are on food detail I want you both to pack up the food and load it on the cart." she order and both Aikio and Kikki looked at her with wide eyes and as they were gonna argue they saw Suki's angry glare and they both went silent and nodded. "Yes, captain," they say as they gaze at the large mess on the ground.

"Ami you go check on the Ostrich horse make sure they are saddled up and the carriage is hooked up," she says and Ami nods firmly. "Yes, captain." Suki than turns to Tam seeing the way she standing awkwardly on her right leg. "Tam you and I will be packing up the tents and supplies," she says and Tam sighs in a bit of relief glad she won't be doing anything alone. "Got it captain." she smiles and nods to Suki.

Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors started doing their tasks clearing up the campsite though they moved much slower than Suki would have liked she couldn't blame them even she had trouble with her bruise. She would reach back and try and rub and soothe her back but every time she did she wondered if the blue spirit would be arriving soon as since they awoke she hasn't seen him. She would glance up once in awhile to the woods wondering to herself if the blue spirit decided to not join them since he got what he wanted what reason did he have to come back. Suki rubbed the back of her neck as she continued to pack up the tents helping Tam load them on the carriage.

Zuko had readjusted his blue spirit mask on his face as he reached the clearing where he first found the Kyoshi Warriors camp. He stepped out of the forest on the back of his Ostrich horse and saw the familiar warriors from last night. They were all clad in green robes and black armour with their faces painted the trademark of the Avatar Kyoshi herself. Zuko sighed definitely remembering these warriors, any doubts that they could have been different were expelled from his mind. He approached slowly keeping his finger tightened around the reins.

"Well, well well look who decided to finally show up," Aikio said in a smug tone as she crossed her arms over her chest drawing all the girls to look up at their visitor. Suki turned from the carriage and smiled at the masked man. "Hello Blue spirit, have you decided to join up with us?" She asked walking over to him, her hands on her hip with the same soft smile that graced her lips. Zuko looked at her halting his Ostrich horse in place, he gazed down at her and he slowly nodded his head raising a thumbs up.

Suki smiled wider grinning as she looked up at him. "Great, it is an honor to have you join along with us. I'm sure we'll do a lot of good together," Suki says as she waves over the Kyoshi warriors to come greet him. They each gave a warm welcome to Zuko each giving their names. He got a good read on them as they wore their personalities on their sleeves The only girl he saw had more reservations about him was Aikio. She was a lot more headstrong than the others, who were more timid and less confident they looked up to her and Suki. If Aikio had any type of suspicions about him she hasn't made it vocal yet. "So Blue, you ready to get going?" Suki spoke up and bring Zuko turned his eyes away from Aikio and to Suki and gave her another nod. "Good, Sisters time to move out." She said as she mounted upon her Ostrich Horse and the Kyoshi's follow suit, Tam and Aikio got up on the carriage cart while Kikki and Ami mounted the other two birds snapping their reins to head out.

Zuko rode along with them traveling down the path heading towards Ba Sing Se. He was glad he no longer felt the pain in his stomach from hunger, an added benefit from traveling with them, but he still remained cautious. Whenever they stopped to make camp, he set up the tent they provided for him near the edge of the site. He thought it was best to keep as much distance as he could from the others, especially when they ate. When he or one of the Kyoshi warriors cooked he would take whatever serving was for him and scooted off to the shade of his tent, his back to them so they wouldn't see his face when he lifted his mask to eat. For a few days, it became the same routine travel, camp, eat, and sleep. He didn't interact with the Kyoshi warriors much except a nod or small sentences written in the dirt when they asked him to do something. Once in a while when eating or just sitting near his tent his eyes would glance at the girls they mostly stayed by the fire talking joking around, but Suki, like him, sat alone he saw her by her own tent pouring over charts and maps. He thought of it and he notices how she never really joined in with the girls either she was off on her own when not giving orders. Thinking about his own time on his ship, he remembered doing the same thing. He rarely talked to his shipmates only barking orders and pouring over maps and charts for his mission. Though he had to admit he wasn't as... compassionate to his crew like Suki was to her warriors.

Zuko shook his head not wanting to remember his time on that cursed ship. He was almost glad that it was at the bottom of the sea if it wasn't trying to take him down along with it. He took a deep breath as he calmed his nerves before pulling off his mask as he settled in his tent. He took a loose piece of cloth and draped it over his face as he rested his head to sleep. After the first night, he couldn't handle sleeping with the mask pressed against his face all night long. So having the loose black fabric shielding his identity was a compromise he was willing to deal with, especially if it meant staying alive and to help him ease his sleeping mind.

When morning came, Zuko could feel the sun rising even if it barely passed the horizon, he could feel its warmth helping him wake from his uneasy slumber. When he awoke, he tugged on his mask fitting the face of the blue demon on his own as he crawled out of his tent. He would usually at this time knowing everyone is asleep, sneak off and practice his firebending routines away from prying eyes. But as he was about to take off he heard someone else walking about the camp and he got down low and remained silent wondering who else would be up. Then he spotted Suki as she was saddling her Ostrich horse which made Zuko quite curious. "Why was she up already? Where is she going so early? Why hasn't she let the rest of the group know what she's doing?" the questions crossed his mind as he walked over to her. His steps were silent as he approached her and as he got closer Suki slowly turned and jerked with a loud gasp seeing the blue demon face. "Spirits, Blue what are you doing up? You nearly gave me a heart-attack," she sighed as one hand rested on her chest and the other gripping the hilt of her sword.

Zuko raised his hands apologetically not wanting to have scared her, but since he couldn't speak out there was no way he could alert her to his presence. Suki let out another sigh "It's okay, but still what are you doing up?" she asked again as she calmed herself down. Zuko then thought what to do and he pointed to his ear and gestured to her and the Ostrich horse. It took her a second as she watched him before understanding. "Oh, so you heard me getting the saddle ready..." Zuko gave a nod as she continued. "...And you were curious what I was up to, and where I was going." Zuko nodded again and tilted his head to the side waiting for an answer from her. She let out a soft chuckle as she watched him. "Hehe well, sometimes I like to do some morning scouting before I wake up the girls. It's relaxing, plus if I bump into any animals I get to do some hunting to make sure we keep food stocked up," Suki says as she pats the side of her saddle where a yumi bow and a quiver of arrows are nestled in. Zuko nodded content with the explanation and was about to turn around when he heard her soft voice, making him pause and look to her. "You know since you are up, would you... wanna come along?" she asked with a soft smile gracing her lips. "It would be nice to have some company, besides we won't be gone too long," Zuko wanted to shake his head and tell her no thanks, but decided against it giving her a subtle nod making grin a bit. "Great, then you better mount up I'm not gonna wait for you," she chuckled as she climbed up on the saddle grabbing the reins of her Ostrich horse. He followed suit climbing up and mounting his own bird, shifting into the saddle as Suki snapped her reins and headed off. Zuko quickly followed after her riding by her side.

Suki and Zuko were riding further down the road away from the camp. The sun barely shining through the thick brush and trees, only soft rays of light beaming down upon them. Zuko looked around gazing at the dimly lite forest before turning to Suki and nudged her side to get her attention.

When she felt the soft nudge from the blue spirit she turned to him. "What's up blue, something wrong?" He shook his head and then pointed to his eyes then gestured to their surroundings. She then cocked her brow wondering what he was trying to say examining his gesture. "What are we looking for?" she asked trying to clarify what he was trying to say and he gave a nod. Suki let out a soft chuckle and smiled up at him "Hahaha well, we are looking any signs of fire nation troops or bandits in the area," she said as she kept her pace riding next to him. "But we are also looking for any signs of people, towns or anything like that. You see much of the charts I have are very old, like maybe 80 to 60 years old. So I've resorted to updating what we have on the fly till we can buy new ones and so far not many towns have detailed maps of the earth kingdom." She said and Zuko nodded, understanding why she was always looking over her maps alone when they were at camp. Soon, silence fell between them as they rode. Only the soft chirps and grunts from their mounts could be heard.

Suki than jerked her head as she heard soft rustles in the bushes up ahead and she halted her Ostrich horse. Zuko quickly stopped as well pulling the reins to stop his ride and watched as Suki dismounted and pulled out the large bow and quiver that were strapped to the saddle. She strapped the quiver over her shoulder as she pulled and nocked back an arrow on her bow. Zuko dismounted as well, following close behind her as they both moved silently towards the rustling bushes. When they got closer Zuko noticed Suki's lips curl into a smirk as she drew back the arrow, letting the soft bristles of the fletching touch her cheek before letting the arrow fly.

Suki shot the arrow and it flew straight through the bushes and with a soft thunk, the rustling went silent. "Direct hit," she said with a grin walking over and fishing her hand through the dense brush. Zuko became curious what she hit. She then yanked out a large black and white Badger Rabbit with an arrow in the middle of its back. "A good kill." Zuko thought, seeing the arrow placement knowing it was a clean kill. "Am I good or am I good,' Suki chuckled seeing her handy work as she removed the arrow from her the prey, before walking back to her Ostrich horse loading it on the saddle. She then turned to Zuko tossing her bow at him which he quickly caught. "You can get the next one, we should get at least two more before heading back," she said then she looked up at the blue spirit curiously as she saw him examine and looking over the bow in his hands. "You have used a bow before haven't you?" she asked and Zuko shook his head. He was trained in firebending but not much else, even his sword fighting was just his firebending techniques just with the blades. He didn't have much formal training with weapons, all that he did know was learning on the fly and from watching others. Suki started to laugh a bit covering her mouth with her hand. "Well looks like I'm going to be teaching the infamous Blue Spirit how to use a bow and arrow," she said with a mocking grin.

Zuko didn't know what to think as Suki led him into the woods, finding a small clearing "This will be great for practice," She declared as she walked over to a tree and carved a large X into the bark with her fan blade. Suki then took Zuko and made him stand about 100 feet away from the makeshift target. "Now let's see what you got," she said handing him an arrow, which he took and did his best to nock the arrow in the bowstring just as he saw her do earlier. "Good now draw it and fire," she ordered and Zuko nodded pulling back the arrow and aimed it at the tree, but as he did so he could see Suki trying to hold back a laugh. She bit her tongue trying to stifle any noise as Zuko let the arrow loose and it flew only three-quarters of the way landing straight in the grass. Suki then burst out laughing making Zuko groan even angrier as he saw where the arrow landed. "Wow, I really thought you would have at least hit the tree let alone get it to the tree line." She laughed and Zuko turned and glared daggers at her. "Hahaha okay, okay look you didn't do that bad, your form is decent you just need to fix a few things," She stated as she walked over and retrieved the arrow before walking back to him.

Suki handed Zuko back the arrow and he nocked it back in the string. "Now draw the arrow back," she said watching as he drew back the arrow and reached up and grabbed his elbow adjusting it. "You need to raise this a little higher like this," she then reached out with her other hand to readjust his fingers, adjusting his grip on the bow and how the arrow was shelved against his hand. "There much better you sho-" Suki's breath hitched in her throat as she looked up at the blue spirit his face staring back at her. Zuko's and Suki's eyes we locked together, and the unexcepted closeness had made him freeze up completely as she adjusted his hands. When their eyes met she could see past the darkness of the eyes of the blue demon mask. she could see two beautiful golden orbs, like small little suns hidden behind dark clouds. Her cheeks became flush red not even her white face paint could hide her blush. Then she realized how close she was to the masked and she pulled herself away abruptly, trying to keep a bit of distance from him. "Ummm yeah, so that... that should be better." Suki coughed "Wanna... wanna try again?" she said trying to look away from him avoiding to meet his gaze.

When she pulled away Zuko instantly regretted it as he wanted to feel her closeness again, but he shook himself knowing she was right to pull away. He knew deep down that he shouldn't get his or her hopes up knowing when she sees his face that whatever she could feel for him would turn to anger and rage. He took a deep breath as he maintained the stance Suki had left him in and he faced his target, the fletching of the arrow pressing against the cheek of his mask. He let the arrow loose shooting and letting the arrow fly through the air it, whizzing down to the target. Suki smiled wide as she watched the arrow as it buried itself at the base of the tree. "Good job, you got distance now you just have to work on your aim," she said and patted his shoulder. Zuko sighed in annoyance feeling like he should have gotten it he should have hit the target. He then grabbed another arrow from Suki's quiver drawing back the arrow and quickly firing it off only for it to be lodged into one of the branches missing the target again. He made another groan in frustration grabbing another arrow, shot, and missed once again.

Suki could see his anger flaring and placed a hand on his as he gripped the drawstring. "Blue, it's okay relax," she spoke softly to him and Zuko turned back to look at her their eyes meeting again. Her breath hitched in her throat a bit as she looked back into his golden eyes as she bites the inside of her cheek looking at him. Zuko similarly couldn't help staring into her eyes getting lost in the blue pools. His tense fingers loosened their grip on the bow and arrow as he lowered the bow. Suki smiled up at him as she pulled away, but not as abruptly as before keeping close to him as she let go of his hand. "If you... if you want, next time we set up camp you could... you could come with me on my scouting. We could do some more hunting together and more... bow lessons," She suggested smiling as she saw him become more relaxed and he gave a subtle nod in agreement.

"Good, it would be nice to have some company," Suki said as she reached out and took her bow from him sheathing it back in her saddle. "Oh, and before we go, you are getting those arrows you fired," she smirked and pointed to the tree he was firing at. Zuko let out a loud huff which made her giggle and she quickly covered her mouth as she watched him go retrieve the arrows. Once he got them all, they got on their mounts to head back to camp, the morning sun rising now above the trees.

When Suki and Zuko rode back to camp, the Kyoshi Warriors were almost done having things packed and ready to leave. Suki greeted her warriors with a smile as she approached them, loading her kill into the cart and helping them finish packing.

While Zuko helped where he could, he mainly secured his own stuff on his Ostrich horse, but as he did the bird whined and he could see the weight of the goods starting to really weigh down on his mount. Zuko knew he had no choice, next stop he would need to get rid of his stolen goods. He didn't like seeing the animal in pain, especially if it was his doing.

When everything was ready, they started to ride off traveling down the dirt road. As Suki lead the way she told everyone that their next stop would be a town called Chong Sheng. She stated it was a bit far off, but at least if just tonight they would be sleeping at an inn instead of camping out. The girls were glad to hear this. Most of them were glad to get some relief from sleeping on the floor, and a nice warm bed sounded like heaven to them. Zuko just simply nodded showing his approval as they continued their journey. By the time the town was in sight, it was midday.

They entered Chong Sheng village. It was simple and appeared untouched by the war, a small peaceful little place The townspeople roamed around doing their shopping and daily tasks as kids played around in the streets. But when the Kyoshi Warriors and the Blue Spirit rode further into town most of the people stopped and gazed at the warriors as they whispered and gossiped to each other about the strange travelers. Zuko didn't like the stares and the soft words the people spoke to each other, even though he was wearing a mask he hated when people talked about him, especially behind his back.

Suki had led them to the Inn in town she was able to get a few rooms for them and room in the stables for their mounts. Suki decided to give the girls a bit of a day off and they eagerly got themselves settled in. Kikki quickly going to take a nap while Tam took Ami and Aikio to go do a little shopping and exploring and Suki simply followed along. Seeing this as his chance, Zuko unpacked all this plunder and headed to one of the stores to pawn off most of the stuff he had stolen.

Zuko entered the general store a few people doing their regular shopping, but when they spotted the Blue Spirit they seemed to quickly retreat from the establishment. The store owner was a middle-aged man and seemed rather nervous as Zuko approach him as he gave an uneasy smile. "How can I... I help you today?" he asked and Zuko gave a quick glance to make sure the Kyoshi Warriors weren't in sight before he spoke. "I wanted to sell a few things," He said softly but in a deep tone for the mask distorted his voice. He hefted up the large sack onto the counter. The man raised his brow curiously as he watched the Blue Spirit open up the sack to reveal what he had. "You got quite an a...interesting collection," he said examining each piece that was in the bag pulling out a gold tea set, some ornate jeweled statutes, a few boxes with necklaces and rings, a gold-encrusted Tsungi horn and several more things he knew he could never afford. "Look I'm sorry, I cant buy any of these things," he said plainly.

"Why not?" Zuko said a little surprised that he wouldn't buy anything he had to offer. "Well simply put, I can't afford any of these things," he said trying to explain. "These things are probably worth more than anything I own, I couldn't afford to buy one let alone the whole collection. Besides even if I could buy this stuff, no one would be able to buy it from me. No one around here needs these kinds of things. I would lose money." He said apologetically and Zuko simply nodded. "I understand, sorry for wasting your time," Zuko let out a sigh as he grabbed his bag and stuffed everything back in before leaving the store.

This is not going how Zuko wanted, he needed to get rid of this stuff and the few stores he went to they wouldn't buy from him. As he roamed around town needed to figure a way to get rid of this stuff he definitely wasn't going to continue to carry it around till they find another town that may or may not buy from him. Zuko then walked over and dropped himself to sit against the wall of one of the shops he just left. He sat there trying to think of what to do as he watched the townsfolk as they glanced at him. Zuko then finished through his bag pulling out one of the statutes. He looked it over running his fingers over the golden figurine of a dragon, but then he raised his gaze up as two young boys approached him.

"Are you...are you the ... the... blue-," One of the young boys stuttered but was cut off by his older brother. "The Blue Spirit?!" The older boy asked finishing what his brother was trying to say. Zuko raised his brow wondering what they want as he gave a subtle nod. The boys smiled wide "I told you it was him!" the older boy said triumphantly as he nudged his brother which earned him a shove from the younger boy.

"You see mister Blue Spirit we heard about you," The older boy started to speak. "And we heard that you give riches to the poor and we are very poor. Cough, cough, cough." He said as he started to fake cough and his younger brother joined in. "Yea...Yeah, we are so...so poor. Cough, cough, cough," the young boy mimicking his brother which just made Zuko roll his eyes at their obvious acting."So you see mister Blue Spirit since we are poor maybe you could give us something... You know since we are poor and unfortunate children."

Zuko had every reason to just get up and leave them and ignore their requests, but as he thought about it this could be a way he could get rid of this stuff he had. He stole all this stuff anyways he wasn't really losing anything, and all the actual money he stole he had stored in his pouch which should last him quite awhile. He stroked his chin thinking it over as he glanced up at the boys still pleading with him.

Zuko then got to his feet picking up his sack of plunder, and he tossed the golden dragon figurine in his hand to the younger boy. He fumbled to catch it in his hands, dropping it before quickly picking it up. The older boy stared at the gold dragon with wide eyes and was about to grab it from his younger brother, but stopped when a gloved hand offered him a similar sculpture but of a golden badger mole. The two boys stared down at the gold figurines before looking up at the blue spirit in disbelief. "Thank you... mister... mister Blue Spirit," they both stuttered as they thanked him. Zuko just nodded and walked passed them as he proceeded to empty his sack.

While Suki followed her girls around town and did a bit of shopping for supplies. She was rather disappointed that none of the stores had any charts or maps. She wished she could find some place that would sell them, though it would be rather expensive nonetheless and she didn't have many gold pieces to spare. As she was lost in her train of thought she felt someone shoving passed her and saw two little boys chasing each other.

"My badger mole is gonna crush your dragon with its earth bending!" One of the boys cried out chasing the other one.

"Nah uh, my dragon will melt your earth with its fire!" the smaller boy whined as he ran away.

"Fire can't melt earth!"

"Yes, it can!"

Suki chuckled watching the two boys argue until she spotted the golden idols the boys were holding. She looked at them curiously as they played with what should be fairly expensive gold statutes as toys. As the boys continued to run off, she spotted several other people walking around town with similarly spectacular looking trinkets. "Ummm did we miss something?" Tam asked as she gawked at a woman who was walking by with a ruby ring the size of a cherry. "Not sure, but I definitely remember this place being a lot less sparkly," Aikio said pointing to an elderly couple sharing tea with a glistening golden tea set.

Suki became even more interested to know what is going on as she and the girls walked around town. "what did he give you?" Suki turned her head as she overheard a few women talking. "Nothing much just this necklace, what about you?" The young woman said showing off the ornate gold necklace around her neck."Spirits it's beautiful, he gave me this bracelet," her friend replied showing off the coiled bracelet around her forearm with dazzling emerald stones. "Ummm excuse me, you said someone gave you those? Who?" Tam spoke up drawing the two women's attention. The two women let out a soft giggle. "You should know," "You are traveling with him after all," The women answered. The Kyoshi Warriors looked at each other and then back to the women, eyes wide in surprise and disbelief. "Wait, you are saying the Blue Spirit gave those to you," Aikio asked not truly believing it. "Yes he did, in fact there he is," One of the women pointed down the road where the Blue Spirit could be seen, handing a large horn-like instrument to an elderly man sitting on a bench.

Suki and her sisters briskly walked over to the Blue Spirit, as he was adjusting the nearly empty bag he had flinging it over his shoulder. When Zuko turned around he was a bit taken back when the Kyoshi Warriors came over to him. "What's going on Blue?" Suki asked with a soft smile with her hands on her hips. Zuko didn't really know how to respond just giving a slight shrug as he looked over to them. She chuckled a bit knowing she wouldn't get much of a response. "Seems like you are just full of surprises, Blue," she says deciding not to press further already having some idea where he got much of the stuff he was giving away.

"Hey, since you are in such a giving mood, got anything for us!" Tam squeaked as she stepped forward hands out. Aikio rolled her eyes as Suki nearly had to hold back facepalming at Tam's comment while Ami remained quiet behind the other girls. Zuko felt a bit awkward rubbing the back of his neck not even sure if he had anything left to give now that he was put on the spot. He mentally cursed himself as he pulled out the bag and began to look for something. Suki shook her head and reached out to put a hand on Zuko's stopping his searching.

Zuko froze feeling Suki's grip on his hand as he slowly lifted his gaze to look up at the painted warrior. "Don't mind her, we don't need anything from you. You being here and helping us is good enough," Her smile and soft voice sent a shiver up his spine as their eyes locked once again, just like in the woods earlier that morning. But it didn't last as he pulled away already feeling Aikio's glare on him, her eyes burning holes through his mask.

When Suki felt the Blue Spirit pull away from her, a small frown graced her lips, but she shook it off and pulled back as well, giving an awkward cough to clear her throat. "So... how about we all head back to the Inn and get something to eat before turning in?" She asked and everyone nodded in agreement as they turned to walk back to the Inn Aikio making sure to put herself between the Blue Spirit and Suki. Aikio didn't like the way the two looked at each other as she still did not trust him or his intentions. Especially after seeing them earlier on their so-called scouting. Aikio knew that whatever this mask man's plans were, she would be the one to squash them and protect her sisters at all cost.

Zuko and the Kyoshi Warriors returned to the Inn where Kikki finally awoke from her nap. They then headed to the dining hall to eat before heading off to their rooms for the night, but Zuko did not join them. Taking what food he was given and heading up to his room to eat alone. Suki did protest, asking him to join them, but Zuko shook his head, he couldn't risk it, he couldn't let them see who he was. When he reached his room, he made sure the door was secured and that he was alone before removing his mask, tossing it on the bed. Zuko rubbed his face, trying to soothe the soreness that spread across his cheeks and forehead from the mask being on all day. He wasn't sure if he would ever get used to wearing the mask all the time, but it seemed for the time being he had no choice. He let out a long breath as he sat on the bed and started eating the meaty stew he was given. He sighed in relief as he tastes the meat and vegetables, finally something with a little flavour, he didn't realize how much he missed it until he started eating. Sure, the food the Kyoshi Warriors had were filling but lacked taste. Though when you're hungry you can't really complain what you get.

Zuko continued to eat, slurping down the rest of the bowl before resting it on the nightstand next to his bed. He then reached over to his bag, opening it up and dumping what was left on the bed checking what he had left. All that fell out were two rings, a bracelet, some loose gold pieces, and a silver flute. He had already stashed most of his money on his Ostrich horse so he picked up the few pieces left and stuffed them away. He then grabbed the rings and the bracelet and put them back in the bag reminding himself to sell these later if possible. His eyes then gazed at the small silver instrument picking it up and fiddling with it between his fingers; it reminded him of his uncle.

Whenever they had music night on the ship, Iroh had forced him to join in on a few occasions. Zuko knew his uncle wouldn't stop nagging and pestering him, so he had compromised once in awhile and played the flute. He never thought he was very good, but it pleased his uncle so he couldn't really complain. Though the flute he had was a wooden one he had never played one that was metal. Zuko pursed his lips and pressed it to the mouthpiece as he shifted his fingers over the blowholes. He took a soft breath and blew into the flute, it gave off a higher pitch than he thought. Taken a bit back he readjusted his fingers over the blowholes and blew a bit softer into the pipe. He started to play a soft melody the words of his uncle's song played on his mind along with the tone.

"Winter, spring, summer and fall. Winter, spring, summer and fall. Four seasons, four loves. Four seasons, for love."

Suki had finished her meal a bit later than everyone else, as she had had seconds maybe thirds. She thanked the Innkeeper as she left the dining hall and decided to check in on her sisters, making sure everyone was in bed before heading to bed herself. As she walked the halls she started to hear something peculiar which made her arched her brow. "Is that...music," Suki said to herself as she scanned the rooms peeking in each one as she passed them. The music got a bit louder and clearer as she roamed further down the hall until she found the source. She stood in front of the door the music was coming from enjoying the pleasant tone. The melody made her smile, it was a lovely song she thought as she pressed her ear to the door to listen. Soon she found her fingers reaching for the doorknob, turning it slowly as she wanted to see who was playing.

Zuko didn't notice the door slightly opening as his mind was focused on playing. His mind lost into the song of his homeland, his fingers dancing along the instrument. Suki peered into the dark room barely seeing anything as her eyes scanned the darkness. Her eyes finally spotted the dark-clad figure sitting crossed legged on the bed who sat shrouded in the dark. She was about to speak out and announce her presence but bit her tongue, her eyes widened now locked on to the mask that laid on the sheets. "The Blue Spirits masks... but that would mean," she thought silently to herself as her gaze shifted to the figure playing the flute.

Suki's mind raced as she argued with herself whether or not she should look in or turn away as her curiosity was killing her. Her eyes then looked up to his face trying to get a slight look at who the Blue Spirit might look like. Her curiosity winning out as she stared at him wanting to get even the smallest glimpse. She could see his chin and strong jawline with the limited light in the room, and as her eyes trailed up his face her heart sank. She spotted a jagged angry burn along his cheek and ear which was burned and misshapen. She felt a pang of guilt flood her chest as she looked away quickly. She knew he must have had a reason to hide his face behind a mask, but this made her regret her decision to pry. Especially since he's done nothing to earn her invading his privacy. Suki started to step away till she heard him stop playing and she froze in place not wanting to be caught. "I wish you were still here," Her eyes shot open as she looked back in the room, hearing his voice.

Zuko had finished playing and set the flute down as he reached for his mask. He let his fingers trace over the engraving on the inside of the mask picturing his mother's face as he traced over her name. "I wish you were still here," he said again as he rested his forehead against the brow of the demon's face. When Suki heard his voice, she thought it sounded familiar, it was soft but with a strong tone. when she heard it the second time it sounded almost broken and sad. Suki stepped back as quietly as she could, not wanting to alert him as she slowly pulled the door closed. When the door was about to shut the hinges squeaked almost deafeningly. "Crap," she cursed to herself as Zuko's head shot up, hearing the noise as he quickly tried to tie the mask on before being seen.

Suki quickly ran down the hall as quietly as she could, speeding off around the corner. She heard the door behind her thrust open as the Blue Spirit emerged from the doorway. He glanced up and down the hallway looking for anyone who could have been trying to enter his room. The hall was silent Suki had pressed herself against the wall covering her mouth as Zuko walked down the hall. She could hear him getting closer, but before he approached her a loud bang could be heard coming from outside.

Suki and Zuko both turned and looked towards the window, neither of them moving from where they stood before another blast could be heard. Then suddenly the windows and walls burst forth, as a concussive blast of fire sent Zuko and Suki flying back. Zuko hurled against the wall while Suki was thrown to the ground. Zuko groaned as he fell to the ground, as he tried to crawl back to his feet his ears began ringing out. Suki had a similar feeling as she grabbed at the wall to help her stand up pushing against it. Zuko shook his head of the dizziness he felt and walked over to the blown-out wall, the fire still blazing up the edges. Zuko could see a fight breaking out down below, Fire Nation soldiers clashing with the townspeople. Suki could see the fighting as well and before she could speak or even give an order, she watched as the Blue Spirit leapt out the window dashing towards the battle.

Zuko jumped from roof to roof dashing across the ceramic tile rooftops, before finally making it towards the town square where the bulk of the fighting was taken place. Zuko gazed down at the Fire Nation soldiers below, spotting their red banners of a claw-like hand with the Fire Nation insignia on its palm. "The Dragon's Fist," He instantly recognized the banners. They were a squadron of soldiers that did only one thing: burn down and clear villages before the main bulk of forces come through. Zuko had heard of them and seen their handy work, they rarely left survivors and if they did it was only to warn others and spread fear.

Zuko knew he had to stop them but he couldn't kill them, they were still people even if he was labeled a traitor. He drew his broadswords but flipped them around so he would strike with the blunt and flat end of his blades. He then leapt down from the rooftop twirling in the air as he sliced down at a Fire Nation soldier, who was about to attack a villager with a spear. He slammed the blunted blade against his head stunning him, before stepping down on the spear snapping the weapon in half. He then swung the blade upwards smacking the steel against the soldier's face whipping him backward to the ground. "Thank you... Blue Spirit," the villager said gratefully as he stumbled back to his feet. Zuko just gave a nod as his reply as he dashed towards the soldiers brandishing his blades as he attacked.

Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors shortly joined the battle, providing cover for the villagers to escape as they raised their shields and drew their fans. "Ami, Tam you two escort the villagers away from the battle. Aikio and Kikki you two will follow me and we will draw the fighting towards us. The priority is to get these people to safety," Suki ordered and all the girls agreed their expressions hardened as they went to battle. They attacked swiftly slicing away at the Fire Nation soldiers that confronted them, the edges of their golden fans became stained red as they hammered through the enemy.

Zuko knocked out several soldiers, bashing through the enemy line as he swung and twirled his twin blades. A few firebenders spotted the blue demon slicing away at their comrades. Enraged they balled their fist igniting them in orange flame, as they shot out quick bolts of fire. Zuko could feel the flames coming towards him and turned to face his attackers as he spun his swords deflecting the fiery bolts with his steel. The firebenders weren't discouraged by his display, as they quickened their assault sending a barrage of flames towards their enemy.

Zuko advanced using his blades to slice away and parry the flames that flew towards him, as he dashed towards the firebenders. One of them then rushed forward, striking at the Blue Spirit with a flaming fist, but Zuko easily bobbed away from the strike. He then interlocked his arm around the firebender's and easily snapped it, breaking it at the elbow. The soldier screamed in pain as he felt the arm break and soon, he was flying through the air as Zuko flipped the man over his shoulder. Zuko throwing him into the other soldiers sending them all collapsing to the ground while he went in for the attack.

In the distance, the commander of the Fire Nation squadron watched in anger as his men were being pushed back. The commander wore a dragon skull-like helmet made of blackened steel as he sat up top a Komodo rhino. "This is unacceptable!" he roared as the soldiers around looked to him for orders. "I will not let some little girls and this Blue Spirit stop us from taking Chong Sheng!" he said lighting his fists on fire. "The princess and Minister Qin need this place cleared for them to bring their new weapon in to take Ba Sing Se. And we will not fail them!" he said to his awaiting men."What are your orders sir?" the soldier next to him asked as him and the other men stood in formation. The commander then smirked wickedly. "Burn it. Burn it all!" he roared raising his fists.

Zuko continued to fight on disabling and taking out as many soldiers as he could. His blades remained clean not a drop of blood spilt as he slashed down at the Fire Nation soldiers each one falling victim to his powerful attacks. Though many of them should consider themselves lucky, as those that fell at the hands of the townspeople or the Kyoshi Warriors found a more permanent end. Every time Zuko saw one of the Fire Nation soldiers being struck down, killed his heart twinged in pain. He was their prince, these were his people, but he was helping the enemy, he might as well be staining his blades in their blood himself. But no matter what he couldn't, he couldn't take their lives, the only way to save them now is to fight them.

The Fire Nation soldiers were now pushed back near the edge of the town. The Kyoshi Warriors joining up with the Blue Spirit in their defense of Chong Sheng. Many of the soldiers actually began retreating as they saw the Blue Spirit and the female warriors approaching. Aikio saw a soldier trying to limp away from them and he tripped and fell to the ground he turned to her and pleaded as she raised her katana to strike him down. "Please... mercy!" he cried out as she brought the blade down on him, but both of them became stunned as her blade rang as it clashed with steel. Her blade had struck another sword instead, and as she turned to see the owner of the weapon she saw a familiar blue mask.

"Blue, what are you doing?" Aikio asked outraged as she tried to push harder on the blade, trying, even more, to strike the Fire Nation soldier down. Zuko just shook his head and grunted, as he shoved his sword up shoving her back. She growled as she glared at the masked man raising her blade to strike him instead. "What's wrong with you? He's the enemy!" she shouted as she raised up her blade. Zuko was unfazed by her shouting and glanced down at the whimpering Fire Nation soldier. He was gripping his side which was bleeding profusely into his hand. Zuko cocked his head and pointed for the man to leave which he quickly nodded in thanks. "Thank you, thank you Blue Spirit," he said as he awkwardly pushed himself off the ground to try and run away.

Seeing the soldier run made Aikio grit her teeth as she went to go strike him again, but Zuko clashed his blade with hers again pushing her back a second time. "Why are you stopping me?! Answer me, dammit!" She growled but Zuko did not budge as he let the man escape. He knew never to strike a fleeing opponent, especially if they are wounded, it was cowardly and shameful. When Aikio saw him remain silent it angered her even more, swiping her katana at him which he easily blocked with his own swords.

Suki saw this and rushed over to them and pushed them apart. "What are you two doing?!" she asked glaring at them both as the fighting was still going on, yet they would fight each other. "He let that Fire Nation soldier go, he let him escape!" Aikio accused as she pointed her sword at his chest. Suki then turned to the Blue Spirit and back to her fellow Kyoshi Warrior conflicted what to say. She shook her head 'no time to scold anyone' she thought as she turned to them both. "We have to defend the town, I'll deal with you this later okay," she said calmly, but this only enraged Aikio as she stared down the Blue Spirit." This isn't over," she spoke gravely as she returned to the battle.

Suki shook her head, glancing apologetically at the Blue Spirit knowing full well Aikio could be a tad over aggressive. "Let's go, people are still in danger," she said and Zuko nodded in agreement as they turned back towards the oncoming forces. As they returned to the fighting a large group of firebenders approached, as a massive barrage of fireballs began raining down on them. Everyone ran to take cover but the fire wasn't aimed at them, it was being aimed at the buildings themselves. The firebenders took a line formation as they let out continuous blasts of fire, shooting torrents of flame. "They are trying to trap us and watch us burn," Kikki said as everyone began to panic the townspeople screaming begging to be saved. Suki remained calm and so did her warriors as she tried to come up with a plan. "Blue, Aik- I mean Kikki and me are gonna scale one of the buildings and see if we can get over the fire to stop the firebenders," she ordered but Aikio snapped. "You are taking him, but not me!" she yelled making the girls a bit uneasy. "I need you to stay here and protect townspeople," Suki said touching her shoulder but Aikio smacked the hand away. "Fine, go with the traitor but don't say it's because you want me to protect the people. You just want to protect your precious Blue Spirit," Aikio growled which pissed Suki off her face red with anger and embarrassment. "No... I... I Errrrr let's go!" Suki shouted turning her back on Aikio, while all the girls became silent as she brushed passed the Blue Spirit and Kikki. They both glanced to each other before looking back at Aikio, whose arms were crossed and they both turned to follow Suki.

They found a building closest to the firebenders, as they have formed a towering firewall with their bending. "Okay let's go," Suki said as the three of them scaled up the nearly smooth surface and climbed up on the roof. They dashed across the roof, charging towards the firebenders when, suddenly, two fireballs were launched at them. Zuko saw the balls of fire and grabbed Suki and Kikki, pulling them towards him. He knew they wouldn't have enough time to jump, so he tried to shield them as best as he could. The blast of fire destroyed the rooftop blasting them clear off the roof, and they crashed onto the street below.

"You guys okay?" Kikki asked, groaning as she tried to sit up rubbing the back of her head. "Yeah, just peachy," Suki said rubbing her sore neck. Zuko simply groaned as the two girls were sitting on top of him. They frantically got off the Blue Spirit as they went to help him up. "Sorry about that," Suki said her cheeks flushed red. Zuko nodded as he stretched out his back and turned towards the firebenders. His gaze following where the fireballs came from and spotted a dragon helmeted man on a Komodo rhino, obviously the leader. "Dammit, how are we suppose to stop them now. If they see us on the rooftops, they will blast us off again," Kikki complained hopelessly. Suki shook her head. "We will find a way, we have to." Kikki sighed. "Hope you come up with one soon because I got nothing." Suki tried to think of something, anything they could do.

Zuko stared down at the towering inferno and at the leader of the Dragon's fist. He thought of a plan, though it'll be reckless and probably very painful. He then turned to Suki and grabbed her shoulder to get her attention. "Hmm, what is it Blue? Do you have an idea?" She asked and he gave a nod and he pointed her towards the Inn and before he could continue she cut him off. "Blue, we aren't running and hiding we need to protect these people. And furthermore just because we are girls doesn't mean-" Zuko groaned loudly cutting her off, kind of annoyed he can't just tell her his plan. He then shook his head and he pointed back to the Inn, and then he did a gesture mimicking shooting a bow and arrow with his hands. Suki finally clued in "Oh, you wanted us to get our bows and arrows. Haha sorry continue your plan," She said embarrassed and let him continue.

Zuko then drew a line in the dirt and point from her to the ground where he marked. "Okay, so you want us to line up here with our bows and shoot at the firebenders?" Suki asked to clarify and he nodded. "Wouldn't they just shoot us?" Kikki commented and he shook his head. He then grabbed her shield from her and pointed to the townsfolk. "Okay, so we line up here and shoot and while some of the townspeople use our shields to protect us from any fire attacks?" Suki asked again and Zuko nodded. "Well if that's the only plan we have, let's do it," Suki smiled but Zuko felt a bit offended by the way she said that. Suki then called over the others to tell them about the plan and she ordered Tam and Ami to get the bows and arrows. Kikki grabbed a few townspeople willing to help them hold up their shields. "Okay, seems like we are ready," Suki smiles as they got in position. She then raises her brow as she turns and sees the Blue Spirit approaching the fiery wall in front of them. "Blue, what are you doing?"

Zuko took a deep breath as he stared down at the towering inferno, as he drew his broadswords and stepped towards the flames. Suki reached for his arm to stop him. "Blue, what are you doing?" she asked again but he simply tugged his arm away as he stepped forward. Her eyes widened in horror watching. "Blue..." she said horrified as he stepped into the flames. Zuko remembered a fire bending technique his uncle taught him, that allowed a firebender to bend the fire around their body without getting burned. He remembered using the same technique about two months ago, when those pirates tried to kill him. It was the only way he could escape the ship's wreckage, walking through the fire. Now it was time to use that technique again, it was the only to get to the other side of the fire without being blasted by fireballs. Though it wasn't through much he wasn't much of thinking things through.

Zuko walked into the fire as everyone watched in horror, each step he took was agonizing. As he tried to keep his breath steady letting the fire wrap and coil around his body, he may not be getting burned but his blood was boiling. Each step each movement was painful which made him growl and groan in pain. He instantly regretted this plan of his and mentally cursed himself again and again.

The Commander smirked as the flames his firebenders created were slowly consuming the town. "Once the town is burned down, send the men in to find any survivors and make sure they are dealt with. We can't have them suffering can we," he chuckled darkly. "Commander Akechi," one of the foot soldiers called out his voice shaky. "What is it?" Akechi said with an annoyed glare. "Something... something is coming through the fire," he said, frightened, and all of the Fire Nation soldiers gazed at the inferno and their eyes went wide in shock.

In the middle of the wall of fire there, floating amits the flames, was the face of a blue demon. The Blue Spirits growls and groans sounded inhuman being muffled by the mask. The firebenders stopped their attack as they backed away from the flames. "He is... he is a spirit or maybe... a demon," one of the firebenders spoke in terror as he stared at the face of the blue demon, flames licking across the wooden mask. And soon the flames seemed to peel and melt away revealing the Blue Spirits blackened body and glowing hot blades. Zuko finally stepped through the fire, standing on the other side of the wall, and he let out a loud deafening roar letting out all the pain he endured. The roar sent shivers down their spines even the townsfolk and the Kyoshi Warriors felt a twinge of fear. Several soldiers just ran seeing the Blue Spirit emerge, others took wavering fighting stances preparing to fight.

Commander Akechi grunted in anger seeing the fear the Blue Spirit instilled in his men. "Attack him you fools!" he roared and the Fire Nation soldiers went for the attack charging towards the Blue Spirit. Zuko gritted his teeth and advanced, slashing his glowing hot blades down at the soldiers who tried to attack him. Even the slightest slash of his blades sent each soldier he fought down on the ground in pain. Zuko bobbed and weaved through the soldiers as he twirled around their attacks by fire or steel, he couldn't be touched as he danced through them. And since there were no firebenders keeping the firewall growing, it started to waver and die down, just enough for the Kyoshi Warriors to see through the fire.

Suki was actually stunned seeing the Blue Spirit fighting the Fire Nation soldiers after walking through fire. It seemed to her that he was a living myth, but this myth could use her help. "Sisters, nock... draw... shoot," Suki ordered as the Kyoshi Warriors began firing their arrows at her command. Each arrow that shot through fire became ignited in flame before each arrow struck down their target.

In a single moment, the tide of battle had turned. Soldier after soldier either fell by the blazing arrows or struck down by the glowing blades of the blue demon. Commander Akechi gritted his teeth as he dismounted his Komodo rhino and stepped into battle. He would not lose, he would not be bested by a criminal in a mask and a few girls, he would not have it. He charged at the Blue Spirit, his fists ablaze as he shot quick blasts of fire towards the masked man. Zuko slashed down another soldier when he was hit by the quick fireballs coming towards him. He was thrown to the ground as the Fire Nation commander charged at him, sending a fiery kick toward Zuko's head. Zuko leapt back to his feet, rolling backward to avoid the strike as he slashed his blunted blades towards the commander's head. Akechi arched his back letting the blade swipe over his head as he spun around and sent a fiery kick towards the Blue Spirit's chest. Zuko was knocked back by the attack but quickly got to his feet. Slashing his swords at the commander who dodged the attacks just as quickly as Zuko made them.

They were evenly matched, and Zuko was feeling his breath start to become ragged and slow. His arms shaking as he tried to keep up the fight, but Akechi wasn't gonna give him any breaks. Suki saw the Blue Spirit struggling to hold his own against his opponent and she knew she had to help. She grabbed one of her last remaining arrows and drew it back and taking aim, waiting for a single opening. Zuko continued fighting, striking at the commander with no success. Akechi was not gonna let this battle be prolonged much longer, fearing he may falter himself as his ragged breath weakened his firebending.

Akechi finally got an opening and parried Zuko's left arm as he went to strike. He slammed his flaming fist into Zuko's chest, sending him flying back throwing him to the ground. Zuko's groaned in pain from the unexpected strike and watched as the commander stood over him in triumph. "Let it be known that the great Commander Akechi defeated the vile Blue Spirit!" he cheered an early victory as he raised up a ball of fire to strike the Blue Spirit down. "Any last-," he was cut off as a blazing arrow struck his shoulder, sending him stumbling back. Zuko didn't waste any time and got to his feet and swung both his swords in unison, striking at the commander's head. The dragon helm went flying as the commander screamed in pain, gripping his face as he fell to the ground in agony. Zuko twirled the blades in his hands, still red hot as he stood over the commander, who was squealing in pain.

Zuko was about to make a move to strike again when he saw the commander pushing himself to his feet, but he froze completely he was stunned as he stared down at the commander's face. The right side of Akechi's face was burned severely, the mark almost identical to the one he wore. Even the commander himself was youthful, Zuko's senior probably by a couple of years. But nonetheless, it was staring in a mirror of a dark shadow of himself. Zuko was taken back-stepping away from the man in front of him, terrified of what he looked like and what Zuko had done.

Zuko stared down at the man before him, the skin on his face bubbled and peeled from the intense burn from his blades. Akechi gritted his teeth as he whined in agony, trying in vain to stop the pain. He held his face as tears involuntarily poured from his eyes and down his scarred cheek. Zuko looked on, motionless, as he couldn't move, all he did was tremble, his swords shaking in his grip. As memories flashed through his mind of the night he got his scar, his father towering over him as he cried and begged for mercy. He could feel his left cheek heating up just at the memory and seeing the man before him only made his heart ache. "You... you will... pay for this!" Akechi started shouting as he removed his hand from his face. "I will... I will kill you!" he roared through clenched teeth as he let his pain fuel his rage.

Akechi charged at the Blue Spirit, igniting his fist with blazing orange fire, blasting fire toward the masked man. Zuko wasn't prepared for the assault as he raised his blades to shield himself. The fiery blast sent him flying back as he tumbled down the shallow hill. Zuko quickly rolled to his feet as Akechi went in for another attack, slashing at him with fire daggers. The fiery blades slicing through and singeing Zuko's dark garb as he tried to defend against the onslaught of attacks.

Zuko was reeling as the Fire Nation commander attacked him. The way he fought, the way he moved, the rage in his eyes, it felt he was looking in a mirror seeing himself for how people saw him. He even felt like he could predict Akechi's attacks the way he would strike, but without his bending, Zuko couldn't defend himself. Nothing he could do but try and find an opening and avoid getting too burned.

Zuko raised his blades, no longer glowing red hot, and slashed and thrust his swords towards Akechi. They twirled around each other in a violent dance of steel and fire, each landing painful strikes, but not killing blows. Akechi was bleeding as the blades of the Blue Spirit cut deep down his arm and the side of his leg, but the pain only made his attacks more ferocious. He roared in pure rage as he launched a massive torrent of fire out from his fists. Zuko eyes widened as the flames consumed him but in an act of pure instinct, he swiped his arms cutting through and bending the fire around him extinguishing it in an instance.

Akechi stared at the Blue Spirit in shock as he watched the masked man block his attack. "You... you are a firebender? You traitor!" Akechi shouted as he stared daggers at him. Zuko was silent his stomach twisted at the accusation, his eyes darted down to his blades and back up at the Fire Nation commander. He was fighting his people, he struck and marked a soldier of his nation. "Am I... am I a traitor?" Zuko said to himself confused before his eyes gazed up at the man in front of him. Akechi was bleeding down his arm and leg, but his wounds did not hinder him as he raised his fists ready to fight.

Zuko felt himself waver as Akechi attacked him. He could feel his ribs bruising and blood pooling in his mouth as he was beaten down. each kick, each punch, each blast of fire that threw him down all he could hear was the echo of Akechi's words playing in his head. "Traitor... Traitor... Traitor!" Zuko was labeled a traitor by his father, his family, his country and now his people. He betrayed them, it was no longer just false charges, he truly had become a traitor. These thoughts weighed down on his mind and he couldn't focus on the battle. He was in a daze as Akechi shot out another geyser of fire from his hands that launched Zuko through the air making him crash to the ground.

Zuko coughed up a bit more blood as he slumped over trying to get off the charred grass. "You are weak!" he heard the commander shout as he felt a blast of fire shove him back down to the ground. Akechi walked over to the Blue Spirit, whipping fire down on him. "You are pathetic! A wretched traitor!" he continued as he raised up his fist in the air, holding up a ball of fire. "And now you will burn for your crimes, traitor!" he roared, snapping Zuko back to his senses. He leapt to his feet, smacking away the ball of fire and slammed his fist straight into Akechi's face, sending him off balance.

Zuko then grabbed Akechi's collar and yanked him forward, bashing his mask against Akechi's face. The crunch of his nose breaking ringed in their ears. Akechi recoiled from the pain, trying to steady himself, but Zuko didn't give him a chance as he sent a kick to his chest. He let a blast of fire pour out from his heel, sending the commander flying back, crashing into a tree. The Fire Nation soldiers heard their commander's cries and they ran to his defence, helping him to his feet and shielding him from any more attacks. Zuko watched the soldiers pulling Akechi away from the battle as they huddled around him. "This isn't over traitor!" Akechi groaned as he tried to fight the grip of his soldiers who were trying to pull him to safety. "I will find you! I'll hunt you down no matter where you go and I will find you, and I will kill you!"

Zuko groaned as he heard the commander's threats. He watched as the Fire Nation soldiers begin to retreat from the town. His eyes were locked on the Commander's as he slowly disappeared behind the trees. "This isn't over..." he thought to himself knowing he will be seeing Akechi again. Seeing the fire in Akechi's eyes reminded him so much of himself: the anger, the hatred, the determination. It was the fire he had when trying to capture the Avatar. "Is that who I am?" Zuko said to himself as he looked down at himself and back at the darkness the Fire Nation soldiers escaped to.

"Blue! We need your help!" Zuko heard a voice calling for him, knocking him out of his train of thought. He turned around to see who had called for him and his eyes shot open as he saw the town. Chong Sheng was being consumed by fire. Even though they stopped the firebenders, the fire was raging on spreading from house to house. Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors tried to organize the villagers, getting water from the nearby wells and streams to try and douse the flames.

Zuko made his way down to the town and found the Kyoshi Warriors escorting some of the villagers. "Hey Blue!" Kikki called out waving him over. "Suki wants us to get everyone to the Inn!" she said pointing over to the building. Zuko could see, other than the hole in the side of the building, it was untouched by the fires and it seemed a bit away from the rest of the town so the fires wouldn't spread to it. He then turned to Kikki and gave a nod and she returned the gesture with a smile as she helped a woman onto a cart they were using to get people out. Zuko helped guiding people over to the cart as Tam and Ami joined him. They carried people out of one of the burning stores that was being used for cover from the battle.

The Kyoshi Warriors removed their robes, leaving on their modest undergarments, or their robes would catch fire as they helped the townspeople escape to safety. Ami took the robes and tore the fabric to make makeshift bandages, as she and the town's healers tended to the wounded. Suki did her best organizing everyone else, trying to put out the fires or tending to the people who were being loaded in the carts. Aikio mounted the Ostrich horse hitched to the cart and began pulling it away once it was full. "I need more water at the town hall, we have to slow down the fire before it consumes the clinic!" Suki directed some of the men as she and a few other women carried out whatever supplies they could as they raided the clinic. The men fruitlessly dumped water on the fire as they tried to slow down the blaze anyway they could.

Zuko helped Kikki load up another set of people on the cart as Aikio road off with them. "Pheww, looks like we are almost done here," Kikki said with a sigh of relief as she wiped the sweat off her brow, her warrior paint starting to run a bit. Zuko nodded and gave a similar breath of relief as the heat was starting to get to him too. He was a bit annoyed, though, by the sweat dripping down his own face since he couldn't wipe it away because of his mask. "Please! Someone help me!" they both turned seeing a man running over to them, his face full of panic and fear. The man grabbed at the Blue Spirit pleadingly "Help, my wife she's... she's trapped!" he said as he turned and pointed to his house that was almost completely consumed by the fire. "I told her to stay hidden during the attack. She's pregnant and couldn't run to help like everyone else. I told her to stay hidden till it was over, but when the house caught fire... I couldn't..." his voice cracked as he feared for his wife's safety.

Zuko and Kikki both stared at the house consumed in fire before glancing at each other. "I'll get the captain, she will know what to do," she said and Zuko gave her a nod and she raced over to get Suki. Zuko then looked around, spotted a few men carrying buckets of water, pulled them over, and directed them towards the blaze that engulfed the man's home. "Please, we have to save her," the man continued to plead. Zuko wished he could speak and tell him it'll be alright but he restrained himself. He was the silent Blue Spirit he reminded himself. He shook his head and waved over more of the townspeople to start dousing the fire with water.

Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors followed Kikki to the house the man's wife was trapped in. Suki wanted to help but when she saw the blaze she knew it was hopeless. The fire was too hot and they wouldn't have enough water to out it. She knew that if the woman was still trapped in there it wouldn't be for much longer. Suki watched as the Blue Spirit and her Warriors joined the villagers who were trying to put out the fire. The water barely touched the fire before turning into steam as they emptied their buckets. Suki then thought hard about what to do and an idea came to mind, though she wished there was another way. "Blue!" She called out running over to the masked man. "Blue, I need your help and I wouldn't ask this if there was any other way but," she took a breath as she looked up at the Blue Spirit. "Do you think, you can walk through the fire like you did before?"

Zuko was taken a bit back by Suki's request "Look I know it's crazy, but there is no way we can put out this fire to get to her," she pleaded knowing she is asking a lot of him. "It's our only shot, but if you can't do it, I understand," Zuko grimaced as he turned from her gaze to look at the fire and the scorching flames. He let out a sigh, knowing if this is there only chance to save the woman, he had to take it. He nodded his head as he reached up and undid the strap for his swords and handed it to her. "Thank you Blue," Suki smiled gratefully as she took his blades and they both walked over to the man whose wife is trapped. "Sir, can we ask you a question?" the man glanced up at Suki and the Blue Spirit and nodded as he looked down mournful for his wife. "Where would your wife be hiding if she is still in the house?" Suki asked which made the man a bit curious as he looked back up at her. "Ummm in our bedroom. that would be... upstairs first door on the right," he said trying to recall his houses layout. Suki nodded and turned to the Blue Spirit. "Do you think you can make it there and find her?" she asked him as she watched him take a damp cloth and wrapped it around the mouthpiece of his mask. He took a few calm breaths and nodded as he stretched himself out.

"Blue... good luck," Suki bit her lip as her eyes locked onto the Blue Spirit, watching as he bolted towards the burning house. Zuko ran up to the front porch and rammed himself at the front door, bashing his shoulder in it as it burst open. Zuko instantly felt the intense wave of heat wash over him as he stood in the main hall now engulfed in flame. The fire rose up the walls and danced across the ceiling as the smell of burning wood and ash filled Zuko's nose. He let out several coughs covering his mouth with his arm, the heavy smoke threatened to fill his lungs. He tried to navigate through the heat and smoke, letting the fire waft around him, trying to make his way up the crumbling stairs. He let out a loud groan as the building began to shake the fires eagerly burning away at the support beams. Zuko shook his head as he steadied himself knowing he had to move quickly or else he would be crushed.

Zuko finally made his way up to the second floor, his body aching and his breath was ragged, and his throat raw and torn. He had to keep up his steady breaths to keep the fires from burning him, but as the flames got hotter it made breathing more and more difficult. Zuko kept moving through the second floor. Finding the main bedroom, he kicked down the door before making his way in. He quickly scanned the room, which also was coated in the fire, before finally spotting a woman on the floor.

The woman was unconscious next to the bed, the flames slowly creeping their way towards her limp form. Zuko quickly ran to her pulling her body over to him as he checked her pulse. He sighed in relief, feeling the soft steady beats from her heart, though her breaths were laboured and slow. He became worried, not only for her but for her baby. He had to get her out soon. He wrapped his arms around her and began to pick her up, but suddenly the building began to shake again and massive wooden beams began crashing down. Zuko quickly pulled the woman to cover as the ceiling collapsed, blocking the bedroom door.

They were cut off with no escape from the burning bedroom. Zuko glanced around for any exit, any path out but found none, there was no escape. He glanced down at the woman in his arms and then down at his hands. "If there is no way out, then I'll make one," he stated slowly laying the woman down. Taking the mostly damp cloth from his over his mouth he drapped it over the woman's face, letting her breathe in the moisture. He took a few long deep breaths, calming himself as he got to the centre of the room and getting in his firebending stance. He got down low as he started to sway and twirl his arms around his body, keeping his breathing steady as he felt the fire around him slowly follow his commands. The fire that coated the room began to leap off the wood, slowly dancing along in the air and following the slow movements of the Blue Spirit.

Zuko coughed, feeling the smoke start to rush into his mouth as he continued his breathing. He fought back the urge to stop as he summoned the flames around him into his palms, creating a condensed ball of fire in his hands. He could feel the radiating heat coming from the small ball of fire in his hands; it as if he was holding the very sun itself. He could feel the energy building between his fingers till it was ready to burst and he shot his hands forward. He shot the fireball straight at the wall, creating a massive explosion. The blast could be felt outside as the whole building shook. The fireball tore a massive hole through the wall and down the hallway.

Zuko had no time to lose, already feeling his body drained from performing that technique. His breath shallow and weak, he reached over for the woman and picked her up in his arms. He dashed through the opening, trying to race down to the stairs. His legs shaking as the building start to break apart, the ceiling falling down and Zuko doing his best to dodge the crumbling debris. When he reached the stairwell, it was completely destroyed leaving only a pit of fire and burning wood. Zuko took another deep breath, sucking in more smoke as he leapt down to the first floor and summoned a gust of fire at his feet to slow his descent. He landed with a loud huff as he felt the floor crack under his feet. He tightened his grip on the woman in his arms. Zuko then made a final dash, racing at full speed for the front door as the whole building came crashing down.

Suki watched anxiously outside with everyone else as the building burned "Come on Blue, come on," she prayed after hearing the explosion making her worry even more, regretting sending him into the fire. Her eyes widen as the building began shaking, the roof collapsing in on itself. She wanted to cry out but was silent. Her words were caught in her throat as the building was coming down. Tears threatened to spill down her face, wanting to turn away until she saw a glimmer of blue emerging from the orange fire. "Blue!" she called out as everyone turned their gaze on the house.

Zuko gripped the woman tightly as he charged out of the house, crashing down to the grassy lawn below. The whole house finally caving in leaving nothing but a bonfire in its place. The husband pushed everyone out of his way as he raced over to the Blue Spirit. "What happened, where's wife, where's my Ying?" He pleaded as he watched the Blue Spirit slowly lift his arms and reveal the man's wife shielded in his arms. "My Ying," the man cried as he pulled the pregnant woman to him, pulling her into his lap. "Thank you, Blue Spirit, Thank you." Zuko gave a slight nod as he struggled to get to his feet, slowly making his way over to the Kyoshi Warriors.

Suki smiled wide, hiding the tears that spilt over her cheeks as she and her sisters went to congratulate the Blue Spirit. "That was amazing, you dashed in the fire like it was nothing. Then the building was coming down and we were like oh no it's coming down. Then you just grabbed the woman and race out just in the nick of time as the building blew up behind you!" Tam said almost giddy as she praised him making the other girls groan at her retelling. "Yeah, yeah big hero we get it," Aikio said annoyed as she nudged the girl's side. "Hey, stop that," she said earning another nudge from Aikio.

Suki shook her head hearing the girls and turned to the Blue Spirit "That was indeed amazing Blue," she smiled up at him and he gave a subtle nod, but she noticed how unsteady he looked. "Hey, Blue, you alright?" she asked reaching out to touch his arm to give him some support.

Zuko felt dizzy; his eyes blurred as he fell forward, coughing hard as the Kyoshi Warriors failed to catch him. "Blue!" Suki cried out as she knelt to his side. Zuko just coughed hard, struggling to breathe after being in that house so long sucking in so much smoke. He grabbed his mask pushing it up as best he could, trying to catch his breath. He managed to push the mask up above his mouth as he lurched over coughing again as bile spilled from his mouth throwing up: onto the grass. Suki tried to keep him steady rubbing his back and holding him as he threw up again.

"Water..."Zuko coughed as his mind became confused blanking out as he wasn't focusing on keeping his cover. "Blue? did you-" Suki was cut off as Zuko turned to her his mask covering half of his face. "Water," he pleaded a bit more clearly his throat raw and aching. "Kikki, get me some water now. Ami get the healers," she ordered as she cradled the Blue Spirit in her arms as the girls quickly did as they were told.

Kikki was the first to return bringing over a bucket of lukewarm water. She reached over to hand it to Suki, but the Blue Spirit quickly snatched it away. He lifted up the bucket and began pouring it into his mouth drinking as much as he can. Most of the water spilling over his face and down his shirt. He groaned and gagged as he dropped the bucket and began throwing up again coughing up most of the water he tried to drink.

Suki tried her best to hold the Blue Spirit up but he fell forward, his limp body barely moving in her arms. "Blue, Blue wake up!" she calls out as she held him as he was barely breathing now. "Aikio, Tam see if can see find the healers," She orders as Ami hasn't returned yet as she grew even more terrified. Aikio and Tam nodded as they went off to get help. "Blue, Blue wake up," she pleaded as she reached up and touched his exposed cheek as she looked down at him. "Wake up."

Zuko's mind was spinning; the smoke and fumes choked at his lungs. His eyes grew heavy, slowly losing consciousness as he laid in Suki's arms. He could still hear a voice echoing in his ears calling to him.

"Wake up!"

"Wake up."

"Wake up..."

"Time to wake up." Another voice called to him making Zuko stir, trying to open his eyes. "Mom?" He called out to the voice in the darkness, his eyes remained shut refusing to open. "Come on Zuko, it's time to wake up," the soft motherly voice called out again. "Mom?!" Tears began spilling down his cheek as he called out pleadingly. "Come on Zuko, don't make me ask again," the voice said in a cheerful, loving tone but the voice felt distant, slowly drifting away. "Mom?! Please no, come back to me," Zuko cried out his voice shaking.

Zuko's eyes finally burst open as his body shot up. His vision was blurry as he looked around to figure out where he was, but his left eye only saw darkness. He reached up to rub his eye but he felt fabric wrapped over it. "What's going on?" He reached up tugging at the bandage that covered his left eye and tore it off. He tried to blink to clear his vision as the room around him started to appear. It was one of the rooms at the inn that seems to be turned into a makeshift hospital room. When Zuko looked down at himself, he saw he was covered in bandages along his arms and chest as he sat atop a table in the centre of the room. His memory was still foggy on how he got here as he leapt off the table. He turned and stumbled over to a mirror and water basin at the edge of the room. He reaching his hands into the water and started to wash his face, letting the cool water wake him further up from his daze.

"Well look who's up and about," A girl's voice spoke behind and he quickly turned to see who had entered the room. Zuko raised his brow as he spotted a young Earth Kingdom girl carrying a tray of food into the room, resting the tray on the nightstand. She smiled sweetly at him as she folded her hands in front of her and fiddled with her braided hair. "I brought you some food, I thought you might be hungry when you woke up," she smiled sheepishly at him. Zuko paused as he looked at her then the tray of food. "Umm thanks," he said as he took the towel next to the basin to dry his face. "You're welcome," she said again, still very cheerful. "My name's Jin by the way. It's an honour to meet you, Blue Spirit," she said as she gave a little bow.

"Blue Spir-?" As Zuko tried to clarify what she meant, it finally dawned on him what's going on. His eyes shot open panicked, his mind racing, his cover was blown, they saw his face, and this girl heard his voice. He clenched his fists as his breath hitched in his throat as his nervousness began to overwhelm him, but he took a deep breath to calm down "She called me Blue Spirit, they don't know who I am. At least not yet," he spoke to himself as he fixed his gaze back on Jin. "Where is everyone, what am I doing here?" Zuko asked as he tossed the towel on the counter.

"Oh, well after the... attack last night you sort of passed out," Jin began to explain. "Your friends brought you here so the healer could tend to you. She said you nearly suffocated and you were covered in cuts and burns," she said and bite her lip as she looked up at him. "She tried her best to treat you, but she wasn't able to heal the burn over your eye," she said as she felt herself getting flustered.

When Zuko heard her, he was actually a bit relieved to have this scar. He reached up to touch his left cheek thinking if they think he got this scar from last night they don't know who he is, at least for now. Though he will still need to take precautions about them finding out. "Thanks," he said softly as he turned to glance at the mirror, looking at the scar that covered his left eye; the mark of the banished prince. "Well honestly it doesn't look that bad, you still look quite handsome," Jin blurts out as her cheeks become beet red. Zuko too felt his cheeks heat up as he heard her "Umm thanks," he spoke as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Jin then coughed into her hands clearing her throat "Anyways...you should eat and when your feeling up to it, your friends are waiting outside," she says turning to leave before she says something else to embarrass herself. Zuko nodded as he watched her leave the room before she quickly remembered something and turned around "Oh, almost forgot. Your mask is over there on the dresser with a new set of clothes," she said pointing to the dresser at the other side of the room; the smiling demon mask greeting Zuko when he turned to it. "We weren't able to fix your old clothes. I hope they fit," she says as Zuko grabs the tunic that was resting under his mask. It was a simple brown tunic with a dark brown trim that looked about his size. It may be a bit bigger but should fit just fine. "This should work," Zuko says as he sets the robes down. "Great, I'll let the others know," she smiled as we left the room taking one final glance at him before she left.

Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors were doing what they could to help out the townsfolk. Though much of the town was destroyed and burnt to the ground leaving next to no buildings still standing. Even after all they've done the Fire Nation soldiers still succeeded in their mission. "So it's decided, we are gonna be taking these people with us to Ba Sing Se, " Suki declare after talking with the town's elders. "Guess we don't really have much of a choice," Aikio began as she sat on the stairs in front of the inn with the others. "Though keeping stocked on supplies will be a bit problematic, we definitely will need to do a lot more scavenging to at least keep everyone fed," she said as she was cleaning her red-stained katana. "Then that's what we will do; like you said we have no choice. These people need us and we can't leave them here for those soldiers to come back and finish what they started." Suki says rubbing her side neck. "Besides this is exactly why we came out here in the first place, to help refugees. It just so happens we get to do that before reaching Ba Sing Se."

As Suki was addressing her sisters, Ami walked out of the inn her face grim and eyes full of sadness. "Lost another one?" Suki asked as she turned to face the young girl. Ami nodded silently as she wiped her nose "I couldn't save them, Captain," she whimpered as Suki walked over to her pulling her into her arms. Suki cradled Ami's head. "I'm so sorry Ami," Suki said as she rubbed her back. Kikki sighed and walked over to Ami and Suki patting the smaller girls shoulder "Come on, I got some dumplings with your name on them," Kikki smiled softly wanting to cheer her up. Ami glanced up at Kikki giving her a nod as she silently walked over with Kikki to go sit and eat.

Suki hated seeing Ami so down, especially since it wasn't her fault. She knew Ami was doing her best, it's just sometimes people can't be saved. She let out a sigh as her mind seemed to drift to the Blue Spirit. She felt her heartache just thinking about last night, she sent him to what could very well be his death. She had never even come close to losing someone like that before, especially on one of her orders. She remembered holding him in her arms, his mask barely holding on to his face. It took everything she had to not peek further to see his face, she tugged the mask back on. It wouldn't have been right for her or her Kyoshi Warriors to see what he looked like without him revealing that himself. She knew now that it was a little hypocritical thinking of his privacy now after she was sneaking a peek earlier. Nonetheless, he deserved to keep his secrets.

As they waited outside, Jin walked out of the inn and approached them."How're the dumplings, do you like them?" She asked as she walked over to them. Tam was the first to speak "Yeah, thanks these things are great," she mumbled, a few dumplings stuffed in her mouth. Suki rolled her eyes and chuckled along with the rest of the girls "Yes they are, thanks again." Jin nodded and smiled back at her "Hehe no problem." Suki then bite her lip as she looked up at the young woman "So how's Blue doing? Has he woken up yet?" Suki asked as the girls became silent as they were still worried about their masked friend. Well mostly everyone, Aikio was still rather salty about last night, and she is known to hold a grudge.

Jin grinned at Suki "Yup, he's up. I just gave him his breakfast and left him to get changed." The Kyoshi Warriors all sighed in relief, glad he was alright. "Thank you for letting us know," Suki smiled up at Jin, but arched her brow as she watched her grin slowly died down "Ummm, I thought I should mention this. The healers did what they could but, he still has some scarring from the fight," Jin said and raised her hand to cover her left eye. "He has a large burn over his left eye and ear, the healers said that the ointments they used weren't clearing up the burn, like the other ones he had," she said apologetically. "They said that he may have some trouble seeing through that eye, though time will tell." As she spoke Suki became confused and mumbled under her breath "That doesn't make sense." She clearly remembered seeing similar scars on his face when she was spying on him at the Inn. "Maybe they mistook those scars for ones he got during the fight?" Suki wondered to herself, not wanting the others knowing she was spying on him last night.

"Though truth be told, even with that scar he's still kinda cute," Jin smiled dreamily which made all the Kyoshi Warriors look at her bug-eyed. "You saw his face?!" Tam and Kikki blurt out in unison which just earned another eye roll from Aikio. "Ummm yeah, why?" Jin asked shocked by their outburst. Suki sighed and shook her head. "We... haven't seen what he looks like. He's always wearing his mask around us," she said feeling oddly jealous of the young girl. "Oh, wow, really," Jin was actually genuinely surprised that they hadn't seen his face which made her grin on the inside. "Well, either way, he should be out soon after he's done changing. Let me know if you guys want more dumplings, I'm gonna head back inside." she smiled and waved to the Kyoshi Warriors heading inside as they waved back. "Thanks, we will," Suki said as she watched the girl disappear inside.

Zuko had finished the meal left for him rather quickly. Not realizing how hungry he actually was, he stuffed down the ramen and dumplings that were left for him. After finishing his food, he slipped on the robes and tied off the sash around his waist, and then slipped on his mask. He felt an instant comfort when he felt the engraved words on the inside of the brow. Even just feeling his mother's name in his mask eased his mind and was enough to soothe him. He then let out a long, deep sigh before going to reach for his swords and realized they weren't there. He arched his brow and looked around, still not able to find them until he remembered he gave them to Suki. "She must still have them," he said softly as he rubbed the back of his neck. Zuko than made his way downstairs, seeing if he could find Suki and the others.

When Zuko made his way down to the main hall, his eyes went wide in horror. The room was filled with tables and beds, all with dead men and women laying on top, with sheets draped over their bodies. He could see several families gathered, mourning and crying over their loved ones. Zuko watched silently, his heart just ached and twisted in his chest. "My people did this, is this all we do? Bring death and suffering?" Zuko had heard what his people had done and seen some of the damages they have left behind, but this was different. Seen what they do, seeing the victims first hand, it was hard to stomach. Zuko quietly left the room as he decided it was best to leave them to mourn.

Zuko was about to leave the Inn when he spotted another room down the hall. There were beds and tables laid out like the other room, but instead of the dead, the healers were tending to the wounded. Zuko watched as his own guilt grew, seeing so many hurt from the battle. He silently wondered if he could have done more, if these people were hurt because he didn't use everything he had to keep them safe. Zuko let out a sigh as he looked down at his hands feeling the warmth in his palms flowing to his fingertips. "If I firebent maybe..." his mind trailed off as he clenched his fist. Zuko turned away from the room heading outside needing to clear his head.

When Zuko went outside, he was instantly greeted by the sight of the Kyoshi Warriors. They were all sat around the front porch of the Inn eating and tending to their weapons. Zuko wasn't sure what to do when he saw them. "Do they know I can talk, did they see my face, and more importantly do they know who I am," Zuko thought as his eyes glanced up to Suki, his memory little foggy, but he remembered clearly when she held him as he passed out. Her voice calling for him begging for him to stay awake. "Did she really care about me, or did she just care about the Blue Spirit," Zuko cursed himself. She didn't care it was just his mask she cared for, not him.

"Hey, it's Blue!" Tam called out seeing the Blue Spirit standing by the doorway of the Inn. The Kyoshi Warriors all turned to see the masked warrior as they all got up to welcome him back. When Suki saw him, she was instantly relieved. She smiled wide as she joined in the warm greetings. "Hey Blue, glad to see you're up," Suki said as she saw him give her nod and a thumbs up. "Cut the bull," Aikio blurted out causing everyone to turn to the female warrior in shock. "We all heard you talk so cut the crap, we aren't buying the mute act anymore," she said still quite annoyed with him. Suki gave Aikio an intense glare, not liking her growing attitude. "Aikio that's not-" "Fine," Suki was cut off as they all turned back to the Blue Spirit. Zuko gritted his teeth as he stared Aikio down, their eyes locked like two predators fighting over a meal. "So you are gonna start talking?" Aikio asked in a challenging tone. "Yes," Zuko says crossing his arms as the rest of the girls remained silent, watching the stared down.

"Are you gonna tell us your name?"

"No,"

"Are you gonna show us your face?"

"No,"

"Are you gonna say more than two words?"

"Maybe," Zuko says looking away from her turning to Suki. "My swords?" he asks holding out his hand. Suki was still quite taken back hearing him talk that it took her a second to realize what he actually said. "Oh right, your swords," she says as she pulls the broadswords off her backhanding it to him. He took the blades and strapped them on his back, adjusting the strap. "Thanks, is there anything you need me to do?" he asked ignoring Aikio. Suki nodded. "Umm yeah, if you want you can help the villagers over there load up those carts," she says gesturing to the villagers near the carts tied to their Ostrich horses. "We are gonna be taking them with us to Ba Sing Se. So the sooner they are packed, the sooner we can leave before the Fire Nation attacks again," she explained as the Blue Spirit nodded again. "Okay," he said softly as he walk off heading over to help the villagers.

"Thanks, Blue," Suki sighed then she glanced to her warriors "Kikki, Tam, go help see if you can help them speed up and Ami go to the Inn, see if the wounded will be ready to be moved soon," she said giving out orders. "Yes, Captain," the girls all nod in agreement and they went to do their tasks. Aikio was about to follow along but Suki grabbed her arm stopping her. "Not you, we need to talk," she said in a firm commanding tone. "What do you want?" Aikio said defiantly. "What's your problem?" Suki asked.

"My problem?"

"Yes, what's your problem? You've become insubordinate and arrogant. Well, more arrogant than usual."

"Oh really, I hadn't noticed," Aikio says, rolling her eyes.

"What is going on with you? I'm your captain, you can't be talking to me like!" Suki says, getting pissed as she gritted her teeth.

"Fine, you want to know my problem? Him, he's my problem!" Aikio growls in anger. "You welcome him with open arms, instantly trusting someone we don't know a thing about. Putting all of us at risk, our sisters at risk!" she yelled. Suki was not expecting this kind of outburst. "I don't want to lose you, I don't want to lose any of you. You guys are like my family." Suki bite her lip seeing the sincere look in Aikio's eyes. "Look I don't trust him, we don't know him, okay? If we did maybe I would, but right now I don't," she says sternly. Suki let out a heavy sigh, putting her hands on her hips "Okay, okay I understand, you are right, we don't know much about him," Suki said softly. "Look how about this after...after we get these people out of here and we set up camp, we will talk to Blue, get him to tell us about himself. If he refuses, if he doesn't want to tell us anything, we will vote whether he should stay with us or not," Suki said with reluctance. She really not wanting the Blue Spirit to leave them, but her sisters do come first. If they don't want him, she can't argue no matter how much she disagrees. "Thank you, Captain," Aikio smiles, glad Suki is seeing reason. "You're welcome Aikio. No matter what, we are sisters, sisters for life" Suki returned the smile as Aikio pulled Suki in for a hug. "Yes, sisters till the end," they smiled as they gave each other a gentle squeeze. "Now come on, we can't let the others do all the work," Suki said as they both went to join the rest of the girls to help pack the carts getting ready to leave.

There was a small ceremony held for the dead; their bodies cremated and stored in jars. The townspeople wanted to spread the ashes in their new home once they were safe from the Fire Nation and behind the walls of Ba Sing Se. Zuko and the Kyoshi Warriors let the townspeople mourn in peace as they continued loading up the supplies for the trip. Zuko felt uneasy seeing the bonfires, seeing the towering flames that consumed the victim of his people's war. He concentrated on work and helping where he could. His unease did not settle as he felt eyes on him; he could tell they were Aikio's. Ever since he woke up, she had been eyeing him all morning, he wondered if giving in and talking was a good idea. It was true that with him able to talk, it made things a little more convenient when communicating, but it also made him look more, suspicious especially with her. Though he had to admit, she looked rather smug when he caught her glancing at him. "What did she and Suki talk about?" he wondered as he gave her a glare under his mask.

Suki then started to give out orders, positioning her Warriors as the ceremony was concluding. Ami was to stay with the healers to help keep the wounded stable and comfortable during their trip while Aikio and Kikki would drive the carriages. She then ordered Tam and the Blue Spirit to remain at the rear of the caravan to make sure there were no stragglers or attacks from behind. Suki would then take up the lead, guiding them towards Ba Sing Se. Zuko followed the orders and mounted upon his Ostrich horse as they trotted off riding down the dirt road. The journey was long, the carriages slowly travelling down the road as not to aggravate the wounded. Though Zuko didn't mind, he enjoyed or rather didn't complain about the travelling. It let him relax once in a while. He let his eyes shut, taking a brief nap as his beast followed the group.

Suki rode ahead, leading the caravan through dense woods and rolling hills. But when her eyes travelled back to the carriages, she could catch the smallest glimpse of the blue demon mask through the crowd. Every time she saw him, even for the smallest moment, her heart stung as the thought of her having to force him out made her guilty. She didn't want him to leave, she wanted him to stay with the group and with her. She didn't want to admit that her judgement was clouded by her emotions, but she knew Aikio was indeed right. They knew nothing about him; he was a faceless man who they allowed to travel with them. Maybe he was as dangerous as Aikio believed, or he was the hero she hoped he was. Either way, she needed to talk to him before they sat down to talk with the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors. He deserved the benefit of the doubt, especially after all he's done for them.

Suki's eyes then glanced up at the sky, watching it as it was overtaken by the orange hue of the setting sun. She ordered for the caravan to stop and set up camp for the night.

The Kyoshi Warriors and the Blue Spirit began setting up tents, which took much longer than usual. Suki noted that for next time. It was already dark once they were finished, and the refugees settled in as dinner was cooked. Bowls of rice and vegetables handed out to everyone who was hungry. Once the Blue Spirit got his own bowl, Suki knew this was her chance to talk to him as he headed alone to his tent.

"So, are we gonna talk to him yet?" Aikio whispered as she watched the Blue spirit heading off after giving him his food.

Suki let out a heavy sigh at Aikio's eagerness. "I think it'll be best if I talk to him alone. I don't want him to think we are ganging up on him. We just want to get to know him, right?" she said raising a suspicious brow as she eyed Aikio.

"Fine, just get it over with," Aikio scoffed as she turned to head to her own tent.

Suki simply rolled her eyes before taking a few calming breaths and turned her gaze back to the Blue Spirit. "Let's do this," she said to herself as she made her way over to him.

Zuko had shuffled over to his tent, the small bowl in his hand. He lifted the curtain to enter his small tent, his hand reaching up to undo the knot of his mask, but stopped once he felt a presence coming up behind him. He turned and met Suki's gaze as she stood at the entrance of his tent. "Ummm, hey Blue can we, can we talk?" she spoke with a nervous tone.

Zuko felt his heart beating hard as he held the loose knot of his mask, keeping it from falling free from his face. "Can it wait till morning?" he tried to ask calmly trying his best to keep his face hidden.

"I wish it could, but it can't," she sighed heavily, her eyes now avoiding his gaze.

Zuko could tell whatever she needed to talk about it was important, and probably not something she wanted to do. "Fine, we can talk but, can you... turn around first?"

"Huh?" she furrowed her brow, but then her eyes went wide as she understood. "Oh, sorry of course," she said with a sheepish smile turning around to avert her gaze.

Zuko waved his hand seeing if she was peeking before turning away letting the mask slip off his face. He set it aside as he reached for his bandanna, wrapping it over his face.

Suki bit her lip not wanting her curiosity get the better of her again, as she kept her mouth eyes shut. "you can turn back now," she heard him as she slowly turned back, she frowned slightly seeing the black bandanna wrapped around his face.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" he asked gesturing for her to take a seat as he pushed up the bottom of his bandanna exposing his mouth as he began to eat his rice.

"Well, the girls and I were talking..." she began as she took a seat in front of him. "and since you can talk maybe, we should learn more about you. Since we really don't know anything about you... at all," she said nervously.

"Don't you mean Aikio," he said bluntly as he ate "She doesn't trust me."

"Yeah, but can you blame her?" Suki sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck "We don't know anything about you. You are a stranger, a man in a mask who just so happens to know how to fight."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do, but it's not about me," Suki said, shaking her head "We are sisters, we are family. If they don't trust you... then you can't stay."

Zuko's eyes went wide as he heard the hurt in her voice. The conflict in her tone at choosing between him and her sisters. Did she really care that much about him? He wondered as he gazed at her through the thin cloth mask.

Suki stared down at her lap as she waited for a reply as she felt her nerves getting the better of her.

"Fine, ask me what you wish."

As she heard his voice a grateful smile crossed her lips as she looked up at him "Really, you mean it?"

"Yes," he said simply. He gave a slight nod as he scarfed down the rest of his bowl. He then set it aside as he turned and gave Suki his full attention hoping this will be over quickly.

"Okay, great ... umm, what's your name?" she started off simply as she began to mentally jot down what he says.

"Li," Zuko replied giving her his other alias. He knew he couldn't tell her his real name, it would only cause problems. But the first answer he gave was a lie, of course, they wouldn't trust him.

"Li huh, hmmm I think I like Blue better," she said with a soft chuckle.

As she laughed, Zuko couldn't help as his mouth curled upward in a small smile. Just the way she laughed and smiled put him at ease and made most of his worries drift away. Suki began asking numerous questions about his travels and his adventures, wanting to learn everything she can. Zuko obliged, though he did leave out a few crucial details regarding himself and the avatar.

"Hahaha, so wait for your, uncle really just laid there, while that bounty hunter was stunned on top of him," Suki laughed into her hand, trying her best to keep quiet as much of the camp was sound asleep.

"Yeah, he can be a creep sometimes," Zuko said with a soft chuckle as he shook his head.

"Well, I don't know about that. From what you told me about him, he sounds very sweet," she admitted. "Though that one story didn't paint quite a... flattering picture of him." she letting out another chuckle.

"Yeah I suppose," he says with a small shrug.

Suki smiled but it began to fade, slowly becoming a look of guilt "Blue, there is something I've been meaning to tell you," she began as her eyes averted from his unseen gaze. "I saw your scar, the one you hide under your mask."

Zuko's eyes went wide in horror upon hearing her. His body becoming stiff and trembled as his hands gripped his knees in an attempt to keep them from shaking. "When... did you?" he could barely finish his sentence as he asked.

Suki bit down on her lip seeing his reaction. "The night of that attack... I heard someone playing a flute and I was curious," she admitted still sounding guilty. "When I saw it was you, I couldn't help myself. I tried to get a look at your face, but when I saw your scar..."

Zuko felt like a pit in his stomach, his hand instinctively reaching up to touch his cheek "... you ran."

Suki saw this which only made her feel even more guilty as she reached up to stop his hand. "I was ashamed, you've been so considerate and kind even if you never said a word," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have spied on you ... it had nothing to do with the scar but everything to do with me prying on something that was private... you didn't deserve that Blue, I'm sorry."

"It's ... it's okay Suki," Zuko said as he lifted his gaze to meet her eyes, his fingers giving her hand a small squeeze as she still held his own.

"No, it's not, but I just thought you should know" She whispered before glancing back at the small gap in the entrance of the tent and looked at the pitch black sky. "I... I think I should head to bed. I don't want to be too drained when we go hunting tomorrow ... unless you don't wanna join me, I could let you sleep in and go alone."

"No, I'll come," He said simply which made the edges of Suki's lip curl upward into a soft smile.

"Thank you Blue, I'll ... I'll see you in the morning then," she said as she reached over and grabbed his finished bowl to put it away. "Oh and don't worry about Aikio, I'll have a talk with her tomorrow after our morning hunt," Suki was about to turn and leave his tent but quickly leaned over and kissed his cheek. After the quick, soft peck, she pulled away, smiling a bit shyly "Night Blue."

Zuko was stunned, his cheeks flushed red, and before he could even reply, Suki retreated from the tent, fleeing into the darkness. He slowly reached up to touch the cheek her soft lips had touched and felt the fading warmth along the tips of his fingers. "Goodnight, Suki," He whispered back into the darkness.

 


End file.
